As Long As You're Here
by Pink Flamingos Are Tacky
Summary: Sydney must work with Sark to save Vaughn, and may find herself falling for him. At the same time, she and Vaughn develop a relationship that complicates things even more. Finished :) Please Read S/V, or S/S
1. Chapter One

Authors Notes- This is my first Alias Fanfic, and I just started watching Alias during Season Two, Episode Six. Please forgive me and shoot my editor (princessscout91589) if anything is wrong. Also, I'm still undecided as to where this story is going. I've written up to Chapter Four (typing it is another matter) and I still don't know if I'm going to make it Syd/Vaughn or Syd/Sark. Please read, review, and tell me what you think, and also let me know about who Syd should end up with at the end.  
  
Sydney slowly regained consciousness. She opened her eyes and looked around. All she saw was a dark room with one bare light bulb, hanging overhead. She did a mental check.  
  
'Okay, let's see here. My hands are tied behind my back and I've been gagged. This is not good.' She looked once again at her surroundings; bars on the windows, bars everywhere, to put it simply. She looked like she was in a maximum-security prison.  
  
Her first horrifying thought was that Sloane had found out that she was a double agent for the CIA. She quickly nixed that idea, seeing as she was on a mission for the CIA and her father was supposed to cover for her. If he had told Sloane about her.she thought, and her head snapped up as someone entered the prison.  
  
She knew the sound of the footsteps all too well and decided to make a game out of figuring out who it was. The footsteps turned the corner and she knew. It was Sark.  
  
This is just great, she thought. I get captured by a serial-killing freak of nature and I expect to get out of here alive. Yeah, in what lifetime, Syd?  
  
"Ah, Agent Bristow," his British accent came through the bars of her cell. "It's so nice to see you again." He came through the door and began walking around the chair that she was tied to. He gently untied her gag and she coughed out, "What do you want?"  
  
"I'm so glad you asked," he said, stopping in front of her. "You see, I need someone to help me get Arvin Sloane to trust me. He's way too nosy with my past business. That's why I need you."  
  
"Get yourself someone else, Sark," she coldly shot out.  
  
"Well, I figured that you weren't going to give in that easily, so I brought a bribe. He snapped his fingers and two men dragged in an obviously drugged Vaughn.  
  
"Vaughn!" she cried, seeing his limp form. "He's not dead, is he?" "Of course, Agent Bristow. I always like my bribes dead. It's more fun that way," he said sarcastically. "He's not dead, of course," he added, seeing the look on her face. "You help me get what I want, I'll give you back Agent Vaughn. You don't, and you can go free, but Agent Vaughn stays and I will gladly send you a tape of a few of my men torturing him for information.  
  
Sydney stared, horrified at Sark. How could he be like this?  
  
"You have an hour to think it over. I'll just leave this here, shall I?" he asked with a grim smile on his face. The two men carrying Vaughn dropped him in a corner of the cell and left, following Sark.  
  
"Someone wasn't loved enough as a child," she muttered.  
  
"I'd cut the sarcasm, Agent Bristow, if I were you," he called over his shoulder. "It could get you in trouble some day."  
  
"I'd cut the sarcasm," she mimicked. "Who does he think he is?" She went quiet.  
  
If I don't work with him, he'll kill Vaughn, she thought. If I do though, I'm working with Sloane more than I'd like. She shuddered at the thought.  
  
She thought a little while longer and whipped her head around as she heard something move.  
  
"Vaughn?" she asked.  
  
"Syd?" he asked as he groggily sat up.  
  
"Vaughn!" she exclaimed happily. He struggled to stand and made his way over to Sydney. He swiftly freed her bindings and she stood next to him, both unsure what to do. Finally, she stepped closer and hugged him. He awkwardly hugged her back.  
  
"How touching," Sark said sarcastically. "Have you thought any more about my offer?" he asked Sydney.  
  
"I have," she said shortly. "And I'm not going to help you get to Sloane, again."  
  
"Fine then," he snapped his fingers and tow men dragged Vaughn away. "Show Miss Bristow to the door, please," he said to a third.  
  
Sydney left and was escorted back to CIA headquarters.  
  
"Sydney!" said Jack, coming toward her.  
  
"Dad!"  
  
"Where's Vaughn?"  
  
"Sark has him. He's planning on torturing him for information."  
  
"You've got to be kidding me."  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh my God."  
  
"The only way that we'll get him back is if I help him gain Sloane's trust so that he can eventually eliminate him."  
  
Jack looked at her grimly. "Let's find Kendall."  
  
"Yeah," agreed Sydney.  
  
***  
  
"Agent Bristow, you will have to go undercover to- where did you say he was again?" asked Kendall.  
  
"I think somewhere in rural South Dakota."  
  
"There is an Alliance meeting tonight," said Jack. "There is also a dinner party as well. No doubt both Sark and Sloane will be going." "Are you going?" Sydney asked, confused.  
  
Jack gave her a stupid look. "I'm not a member of the Alliance. Sloane's the SD-6 representative, remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah, right."  
  
"Anyhow," interrupted Kendall. "Here's what's going to happen. Sydney, you need to convince Sloane to let you go along to the party, and possibly the meeting."  
  
"I refuse to go as his date," she objected.  
  
"I refuse to let her go as his date," agreed Jack.  
  
"You just need to get there- somehow. Vaughn's life depends on it."  
  
***  
  
Sydney hurried through SD-6 headquarters to Sloane's office.  
  
"Can I talk to you?" she asked, flashing him a smile.  
  
"Of course. Please sit down. What would you like to talk about?"  
  
"The Alliance meeting tonight." Good, she thought. Get right to the point.  
  
"What about it?" he asked. "I also have a favor to ask of you," he added.  
  
"I was wondering if somehow I could go tonight. You know, find out what it's like from a firsthand experience."  
  
"Actually, you can. I need to oversee something tonight. You'll be presenting Mr. Sark to the Alliance. Have fun," he said, ushering her to the door.  
  
That was easy, she thought. She hurried to get ready.  
  
Two hours later, she had put on a short black dress with matching sandals. She pulled her hair into a French twist and grabbed the matching sweater from her chair. She opened the door and got ready to head down the steps and saw Sark standing there, ready to knock.  
  
"How.how did you find me?" she stuttered and finally asked.  
  
"Sloane told me. Shall we?" he asked, offering his arm.  
  
She reluctantly took it, but couldn't help feeling that it was right, somehow.  
  
"I wanted to tell you," she heard herself saying. "I'll work with you to get Agent Vaughn back."  
  
"Glad to hear it. You're a fantastic agent, you know." She felt herself blush at the complement. "Here's what's happening," he said as they got into the car. "You're here for Sloane. You will be introducing me as Mister Sark, and saying that I work for SD-6, got it?"  
  
She nodded, and then turned and stared out the window.  
  
Sydney uncertainly entered the large building and looked down at the slip of paper that Sloane had given her.  
  
"Conference Room B," she muttered to herself as they walked.  
  
"It's the next one," Sark whispered in her ear, sending chills up her spine.  
  
"I can read," she snapped back as they reached the conference room.  
  
"Names?" asked the man standing outside the door.  
  
"Sydney Bristow. I'm here representing Arvin Sloane and SD-6." "Ah," he replied. "And you must be Mr. Sark. Welcome." He moved aside for them to enter.  
  
Sark leaned down again and whispered in her ear. "That dress looks very good on you."  
  
Sydney rolled her eyes and grimaced. Why had she chosen to wear this dress anyway? It was way too short than she liked anyway. She then remembered that it was the only dress she owned. Her father had bought it for her on her last birthday.  
  
She sat through the meeting on autopilot standing and answering when called to, making necessary introductions, and so on.  
  
When the meeting ended, Sark gently nudged her and told her so.  
  
"What were you daydreaming about?" he asked.  
  
She couldn't tell him that she'd been thinking about Vaughn- first, he'd laugh and then he'd make his list of demands longer.  
  
"Nothing in particular," she answered.  
  
"Agent Bristow-"  
  
"Sark, just call me Sydney."  
  
"All right, Sydney. It was written all over your face. You were hopelessly daydreaming about something.  
  
"Sark, just drop it."  
  
He went silent. "Alright then."  
  
They headed for the dinner part, neither saying anything. Finally, Sydney broke the silence.  
  
"When do I get Agent Vaughn back?" "My men are bringing Agent Vaughn to dinner. I have also received word that Sloane will be there as well. You get Sloane to trust me, you'll get your precious Agent Vaughn back."  
  
"And if Sloane doesn't agree?"  
  
"You don't get Agent Vaughn back."  
  
"They exited the car and Sydney saw Sloane sitting alone, at a small table set for three people.  
  
"We're not going to sit with him, are we?" asked Sydney.  
  
Sure enough, Sloane stood and waved them over to his table. Sark grinned evilly at Sydney and she rolled her eyes in disgust.  
  
"Sydney, Mr. Sark," said Sloane, nodding his head in approval. "So nice to see you. Please sit down."  
  
Sydney reluctantly sat down next to Sark.  
  
"Tell me. How did the meeting go?"  
  
"It went.rather well," said Sark.  
  
"Agent Bristow?"  
  
"It was.okay."  
  
"That's good, since I need to select another agent to go to Alliance meetings with me. I would be honored if you would come with, Sydney."  
  
"Um.," began Sydney. Sark shot her a look. "I think that you'd be better off selecting Mr. Sark for these kinds of things."  
  
Sloane looked surprised. "Alright then. Mr. Sark it is."  
  
Sydney saw two men slip in and heard some slight static come from her right, from Sark. She recognized the men as Sark's.  
  
"Excuse me for a moment," she said, taking off her black jacket, revealing the backless dress.  
  
She walked off in the general direction of the bathroom, and after she was out of Sloane's view, turned around and went toward Sark's men.  
  
She whipped around as she felt a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Chill out," Sark said, grinning. "Agent Vaughn is in the car. I told Sloane that you had an urgent call and had to go somewhere immediately." He handed her the sweater that she had left on her chair. "Did I mention that you look absolutely stunning in that dress?"  
  
"Only about fifty times since I made the mistake of wearing it," she rolled her eyes and stopped as she saw Vaughn get out of the car.  
  
"Hey," he smiled at her and walked towards them. Sark turned and walked back inside and the car drove away. They were completely alone in the dark. Vaughn leaned in toward Sydney and kissed her. Her eyes flew open, but she didn't pull away. Her feet stuck to the floor and she closed her eyes, enjoying the kiss.  
  
"Wow," she said breathlessly when he finally pulled away.  
  
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that. The day that you were assigned to me, I almost considered finding someone else to be assigned to me because I fell in love with you right there." "Protocol won't allow it, you and me, that is."  
  
"Sydney, don't you get it? I'd quit the CIA if it meant being with you- except then I'd be watched constantly to make sure that I wasn't working for someone else."  
  
"Vaughn?"  
  
"Yeah, Sydney?"  
  
"Just shut up and kiss me again."  
  
He grinned, and then bent down and kissed her again. 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
Sydney grabbed her cell phone and called a cab. She fought back the urge to kiss him again, and they rode silently back to her house.  
  
They reached the door and Sydney got out her key.  
  
"Hold it," said Vaughn.  
  
"What?"  
  
"We're not going in here to make out like a bunch of mindless teenagers, are we?"  
  
"While I have no objections to that, Dad and Kendall would flip out at seeing me in this.ensemble," she gestured to her dress "when I take you back to the CIA."  
  
"I can get there myself."  
  
Sydney unlocked the door and let Vaughn in. "My mission was to save you and bring you back to Kendall. After that, I say that we come back here and, as you so nicely put it 'make out like a bunch of teenagers.'"  
  
"You know that Kendall will come up with something for me to do."  
  
"Yeah. Do you want anything to drink?"  
  
"Got any coke?"  
  
"Fridge, top shelf. I'm going to go change."  
  
She went into her bedroom and quickly put on a black skirt and a purple sweater, but left her hair the way it was.  
  
"I'm back," she called, opening the door to find Vaughn sitting on the couch with the TV on and a coke in his hand. She smiled and said, "Made yourself at home, didn't you?"  
  
He smiled back and she heard the microwave go off in the kitchen. "Popcorn's ready," he said with a grin.  
  
"Get it to go. I need to get you back before Dad goes back to SD-6 and discovers that neither Sloane nor I are there. Then he's bound to come looking for me.  
  
"And it'd look absolutely fantastic to find is making out on your couch," he grinned wickedly and grabbed the bag of popcorn from her. He kissed her and then bolted for the car.  
  
She ran after him and got into the car. He was sitting in the passenger seat with his feet up, eating the popcorn.  
  
"You'd better share that," she said, grabbing a handful and stuffing it into her mouth.  
  
She drove them to the CIA headquarters and brought Vaughn in, but not before kissing him.  
  
"Nice work, Agent Bristow," Kendall complemented her.  
  
"Thanks," she smiled at Vaughn.  
  
"Sydney!" Jack entered the room. "Oh, Agent Vaughn. Welcome back." He turned to Sydney. "Sloane is looking for you."  
  
Sydney looked at her watch. "He shouldn't be back for another hour.  
  
"He called. He wants you to be in his office in an hour."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I have no idea. You'd better go, though."  
  
"You're right," she agreed.  
  
"Syd," Vaughn said and she turned to leave. He pressed a small white envelope into her hand. "Call me and hang up after it rings once if you want to," he whispered. She gave him a confused look, but shrugged and headed for her car.  
  
***  
  
Sark headed for the Control Room. Sloane had ordered him out as soon as Sydney had arrived, and he wanted to know why.  
  
He used his key and found the monitor for Sloane's office. He saw Sydney standing in front of Sloane's desk.  
  
"Agent Bristow I'm so glad that you came so quickly."  
  
"My father said that you had called me."  
  
"I did. Sydney, I have a mission for you. Your latest assignment is to tail Sark, find out what he's up to. Be my eyes and ears, won't you?"  
  
Sydney looked at him. "All right," she finally said.  
  
Sark clenched his fists. Sloane really didn't trust him! He stormed out of the control room and ran into Sydney.  
  
"Agent Bristow," he said, nodding.  
  
"Mr. Sark," she replied.  
  
He grabbed her arm and yanked her into a nearby room.  
  
"You and I both know that Sloane wants you to tail me. If you say anything to him about my plans, your cover as a double agent is blown as is your secret with Agent Vaughn."  
  
"How do you know about Vaughn and I?"  
  
"I saw him kiss you tonight. The rest I've figured out from your face."  
  
"How did you find out about the CIA?"  
  
"Irina."  
  
Sydney fumed. She was going to kill her mother.  
  
"Fine," she said. "My assignment is to tail you. I'm still going to do it."  
  
"Feel free. You're just wasting your time."  
  
She turned and opened the door, but felt a hand on her shoulder. "Don't forget, Sydney."  
  
She hurried for her car and opened the envelope that Vaughn had given her. It was a ticket to a hockey game. The note inside read: "Syd,  
  
Do you want to go to this game with me?  
  
Remember,  
  
Vaughn."  
  
She pulled out her cell phone as she headed back to the CIA. She let it ring once and just as she was about to hang up, she heard, "Vaughn."  
  
"Hey," she said.  
  
"Hey," she could just picture him smiling on the other end.  
  
"I was getting ready to hang up."  
  
"I know, but Kendall needs us for a meeting, so I waited for you to call."  
  
"I'm pulling into the parking lot now."  
  
"I know," she looked up and saw Vaughn, standing in the parking lot. She smiled and got out of her car. She hugged him and they walked into the CIA headquarters.  
  
"Good, you're both here," said Kendall, and led them to a conference room.  
  
They sat down, Sydney in between Jack and Vaughn, and Kendall at the head of the table. A few more agents that Sydney didn't recognize walked in, followed by Irina, who was being escorted by two security guards. She sat down across from Sydney and gave her a smile.  
  
Kendall began to speak. "It has come to my attention through Jack Bristow that Russian Intelligences have acquired about five million doses of Anthrax and Smallpox that SD-6 is going to retrieve.  
  
"Since Ms. Derevko knows the location of the viruses, she has offered to work with us to acquire and destroy the viruses and the center. Jack, Sydney, I want you to go with her."  
  
"You're out of your mind," said Jack. "I am not entrusting both mine and my daughter's life with her."  
  
"She will be tracked on a tracer and like the last time, will be wearing something layered with C-4 and that is able to be detonated." Jack sat back in his chair and Irina silently nodded.  
  
"I can't go. I'm on assignment for SD-6," Sydney said.  
  
"It's been taken care of," Jack said shortly.  
  
"It's settled then. Sydney, Jack will brief you on the plane. Agent Vaughn, you will be her contact. If anything goes wrong, she will contact you."  
  
"Agent Kendall, I'd rather that Agent Vaughn go with me," Sydney said.  
  
Jack, Kendall, and Vaughn's heads all turned to look at her.  
  
"I don't have any objections," said Jack, shooting Sydney a suspicious look.  
  
"I'll go," Vaughn answered.  
  
"I don't mind," Irina said with a look in her eyes like she had just won the lottery.  
  
"You are a prisoner. Your opinion doesn't count," Jack said coldly.  
  
Sydney looked at Vaughn and he nodded. "Meeting adjourned. See you in an hour," she said quickly, knowing that the conference room was about to become a battlefield.  
  
"Agent Bristow, do you need a ride?"  
  
"Sure," replied Sydney, and they left the room.  
  
They all but danced out to the car and drove to Sydney's house.  
  
"Don't you have to pack?" she asked.  
  
"I packed before we left. Your dad told me about the mission, and I knew that I'd want to go."  
  
"What do you think I'll need?"  
  
"A bomb shelter for when your parents go at it again?" Vaughn laughed. Sydney laughed along with him.  
  
She picked up the phone and dialed the number for Francie's restaurant.  
  
"Hello?" asked Francie.  
  
"Hey! I've got a business trip coming up and I need to know what to pack."  
  
Francie rattled off a bunch of items that Sydney stuffed into her suitcase, and then hung up.  
  
She tossed a few other things into the suitcase and picked up her carry-on bag.  
  
"Did you pack the dress that you wore for Sark?" asked Vaughn, taking her bag from her. Sydney felt herself flush red.  
  
"Yes, why?"  
  
"Just wondering. It looks good on you, and.parent's permitting, I might just take you out to dinner while we're there."  
  
Sydney laughed as they got into Vaughn's car- to the airport, and Russia. 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
Sydney and Vaughn walked into the airport. They checked their bags and Sydney saw her parents standing in the food court.  
  
"Here," her dad pushed a bag into both Sydney's and Vaughn's arms.  
  
"Disguises. Your aliases are Abbie Mason and Chris Golden. You're engaged and we're Abbie's parents.  
  
Sydney and Vaughn smiled at each other and Sydney snorted out, "You and Dad, my parents? Yeah, right."  
  
Jack shot her a look and she quickly headed for the bathroom.  
  
"This wig bothers me," she said when she returned, adjusting it.  
  
"Live with it," retorted Jack.  
  
"Here," said Irina, reaching under the blonde mop. She yanked out a tag and held it up. "I found the problem."  
  
Their call for boarding came and they boarded the plane. Sydney sat in between her parents and Vaughn sat on the end.  
  
"Jack, I wish you'd put a little more faith in me," said Irina.  
  
"You're not getting a gun. It's not happening, so give it up."  
  
"I almost got killed the last time!"  
  
"Pity you didn't," muttered Jack.  
  
"Sydney!" hissed Vaughn.  
  
"Will you just shut up!" she snapped at her parents. "Honestly, I feel like I'm babysitting."  
  
"Sydney!" hissed Vaughn again.  
  
"What?" she asked angrily.  
  
"Is that Sark?"  
  
Sydney's head shot up.  
  
"That was stupid," muttered Jack. "Now he'll know we're here."  
  
"Shut up," she hissed.  
  
Sydney looked him over. Tall, blonde, dark sunglasses, all they were missing was the.she thought.  
  
The man peered over his sunglasses and gave her a cocky grin.  
  
Cocky grin, her mind finished.  
  
"Yeah," she sighed, sitting back in her seat. "That's him."  
  
*Twelve Hours Later, in Russia*  
  
"We've got two rooms," Jack said. "Each with two separate beds."  
  
"Thank god," muttered Irina. Sydney fought to keep from laughing and trailed behind the group so that she could laugh.  
  
She whipped around, her left arm flying to punch whoever had grabbed her shoulder.  
  
Sark laughed lightly as her caught her fist and put it down.  
  
"You are so much fun to scare, Agent Bristow. I must say, I love the hair, by the way. It's so.you."  
  
She dropped her voice. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I thought it'd be obvious. I'm tailing your father, and now you. I must say that it's quite interesting that you and your father are double agents. Mr. Sloane will be very pleased."  
  
"You wouldn't dare tell him."  
  
"Of course I would," he flashed her another cocky smile.  
  
"You son of a bitch," she said through clenched teeth.  
  
"Wonderful to see you too!" he called after her in Russian.  
  
"Where'd you go?" asked Vaughn.  
  
"Sark found me."  
  
"Oh joy," he said sarcastically.  
  
"I'm going to get in touch with Kendall when we get to the hotel," said Jack.  
  
Sydney nodded and followed them as they got into a cab.  
  
"Two rooms, under Mason," Jack said to the man at the desk.  
  
"215 and 217," he replied, handing him the keys.  
  
"I'll take these," Sydney replied, grabbing two room keys and dashing for the stairs.  
  
Vaughn ran after her, laughed and Sydney let them into the room.  
  
"You should probably share a room with your mom," said Vaughn.  
  
"Yeah, but then I couldn't do this," she kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
They finally broke apart and neither one said anything.  
  
"You do know that if your dad walks in and finds us, we're worse than dead."  
  
"Better him than Sark."  
  
"Neither one is that great. I'd be hearing from Dad until I was fifty, and then taunted by Sark until I was sixty."  
  
Vaughn smiled again and they shared another passionate kiss.  
  
They jumped apart as a knock came on the door. Sydney made a mad dash for the bathroom, and locked the door behind her. Vaughn opened the hotel room door and saw Jack.  
  
"Yeah?" asked Vaughn.  
  
"Kendall wants us to move in tonight, about 4:00 AM."  
  
"Okay, I'll tell Sydney."  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
"Bathroom."  
  
"Oh. Okay. See you later."  
  
Vaughn closed the door and knocked gently on Sydney's bathroom. "He's gone. You can come out now."  
  
She opened the door and Vaughn hugged her.  
  
"We're leaving tonight at about four," he said quietly into her hair, not wanting to break the moment.  
  
She mumbled something and leaned against his into his embrace.  
  
*1:30 AM*  
  
Sydney sat up as he heard something hard slam against the door that connected her and Vaughn's room to her parents. She looked over and saw that Vaughn had sat up as well. She flung back the covers and rummaged quickly through her bag. Vaughn looked at her quizzically, and saw that she had pulled out a small handgun.  
  
"Good idea," he whispered.  
  
They went around to the main door of Jack and Irina's room and Vaughn silently slipped the key in.  
  
Sydney went first around the corner.  
  
"Freeze," she heard herself say. "I have a gun." Great, she thought. That was dumb. I sound even cheesier than those cop shows on TV.  
  
She saw one figure, probably a man throw a roundabout kick at the figure that was against the wall. The figure against the wall was slumped and slid to the floor.  
  
Vaughn flipped on the light and Sydney saw Jack throw another punch at Irina.  
  
"Dad! Stop!"  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Vaughn.  
  
Irina groaned and tried to stand. Sydney rushed to help her.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" asked Jack.  
  
"I was trying to get to the bathroom," said Irina grumpily.  
  
"Yeah right," muttered Jack.  
  
"Shut up!" yelled Sydney and Vaughn at the same time.  
  
"I went to the wrong door and little Mr. "Secret Agent" over there jumped me." She slowly made her way to the bathroom and slammed the door, as if to prove her point.  
  
"I thought she was trying to escape," protested Jack.  
  
"Why don't you just booby-trap the area around her bed with land mines?" asked Sydney, sarcastically.  
  
Vaughn yawned. "I'm going back to bed."  
  
"Ditto here," agreed Sydney.  
  
*Three Hours Later*  
  
"Ready?" asked Vaughn, climbing into the jeep.  
  
"Yeah," Sydney said.  
  
They drove silently to the Russian base and met up with Jack and Irina.  
  
Sydney noticed a large object stashed in the nearby bushes. She pushed them aside and found a small, two-man jeep.  
  
"Damn you, Sark," she muttered.  
  
She hurried back to the group. "Sark's here," she reported. "I found his jeep."  
  
"Great," said Vaughn, sarcastically.  
  
"We have to get to the viruses before he gets them for SD-6," said Irina. "Follow me."  
  
"Here's what we're going to do," she said as they stopped as the hallway broke in two.  
  
"Sydney, you're coming with me. We're going to disarm the system. Jack, you need to get the key. It's on the third floor, in the storage closet. The pass-code is 30028. Once you're in, there should be three shelves to your left. It's on the middle shelf, third row inside a pair of green socks in a box marked "donations." After Jack gets the key, Agent Vaughn will be disguised as a Russian guard. You will patrol the area until Jack finds you. The freezer code is 14150. The key is for the storage bin. It's bin seven."  
  
"There is so much wrong with this plan," muttered Jack.  
  
"Sydney, you come with me, we'll meet up with you later," said Irina.  
  
"Be careful," whispered Vaughn. "Don't let her kill you."  
  
"You're the one who should be worried," warned Sydney. "My dad's got a gun and he's pissed off. Irina doesn't have a gun."  
  
She smiled at him again and took off after Irina.  
  
"Come on and stay quiet," whispered Irina, tossing Sydney a guard's uniform.  
  
They made their way to the control room and Irina entered the pass-code. Alarms sounded, sending the two of them into a state of shock.  
  
"The codes must have been changed," said Sydney. She pulled out her phone and dialed Vaughn.  
  
"Syd?" he answered.  
  
"Vaughn, something's wrong with the security system! Get Dad and you out!"  
  
"Syd!" she hung up, cutting off both her father and handler.  
  
***  
  
Jack heard the alarm sound and immediately checked to see if he had tripped something.  
  
He whipped around and punched two guards unconscious, then took off and ran for their meeting place.  
  
"Damn you, Irina," he muttered.  
  
***  
  
Vaughn looked at his cell phone and looked up as he saw someone bolt past him, carrying a large crate.  
  
He pulled out his gun, but much to his dismay, found that he only had a tranquilizer gun.  
  
"Here goes nothing," he muttered as he fired the gun. The crate crashed to the ground as the figure shot his a look of venom before falling to the ground.  
  
"Oh my god," said Vaughn, looking at the lifeless person. It was Sark.  
  
***  
  
Sydney hid behind a wall as the Russian guards patrolled the room. Irina nodded and Sydney pulled out her gun and fired twice, killing two guards.  
  
She threw her second handgun to Irina, who killed another three guards. The room cleared and they stepped over the dead bodies and into the hallway. They ran to find Jack and Vaughn.  
  
They went down two flights of stairs and saw Vaughn, staring in disbelief at a fallen body.  
  
"Vaughn!" Sydney exclaimed, running to him. He leaned down and kissed her, forgetting that Irina was in the room.  
  
Irina cleared her throat loudly, and they jumped apart, embarrassed. She stared at Sydney with an amused look on her face. Sydney blushed.  
  
"What do you want to do with the cargo?" Vaughn asked, shifting Sark's body with his foot.  
  
Irina picked up the crate. "Can you lift him?" Vaughn put Sark's lifeless body over his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah," he said. "Let's go."  
  
They met up with Jack in the basement corridor. He was fuming.  
  
"What the hell did you do?" he asked Irina.  
  
"Someone tripped the alarm."  
  
"I'll bet it was Sark," said Sydney.  
  
"That makes sense," said Vaughn, motioning to the lifeless form draped over his shoulder.  
  
"Dump him in his jeep and let's get out of here," said Jack. Vaughn nodded in response.  
  
They drove off just as the sun was beginning to rise. 


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four  
  
"I'm going shopping!" Sydney announced as she walked into the attached room. "No, you're not," replied Jack. "Sure she is," said Irina. "I'm going too." She smiled at Sydney. "We don't have to be back until tomorrow. I really don't want to be stuck in a hotel room all day." She grabbed her purse and took off out the door. Irina soon followed. "So when's the wedding?" she asked. "What wedding?" "Yours and Vaughn's, of course." "Who says that we're even going to get married?" Irina shot her a look, but Sydney remained silent, shopping, picking out clothes. About fifteen minutes later, she realized that Irina was no longer behind her. She looked across the room to see Irina rapidly conversing with a man in Russian. She crossed the room and stood next to Irina. "Who is this?" asked the man in French, hoping that Sydney wouldn't understand. "Sydney Bristow, her daughter," Sydney replied perfectly in French. The man looked surprised for a minute, but then switched to Russian and said, "You have a daughter?" "Yes," Irina replied, in English. "She works for Sloane." "Really? Mr. Sloane is around here somewhere. The four of us should have lunch together today." Irina saw the look of fear that crossed Sydney's face and quickly said, "We were just getting back to the hotel." Sydney saw Sloane walk toward them and ducked off behind a rack. "Who is this?" asked Sloane. Sydney saw a very unhappy Sark come up from behind. His eyes widened as he saw Irina standing in front of Sloane. "Irina Derevko, Russian Intelligence." "Derevko," muttered Sloane. "Last I heard. she was a CIA.prisoner!" He motioned for Sark to get out his gun and take her prisoner. Sark escorted Irina to the car. "Where is Agent Bristow?" he asked. "My husband and I separated years ago, Mr. Sark," she replied. "Not your husband, Irina, your daughter." "She's on a mission for Sloane," Irina lied through her teeth. Sark smiled. "If she was on a mission for Sloane, she'd be here with me. Tell me, Irina, where are the Anthrax spores that you stole from me?" "I have no idea what you are talking about." Sloane came over to the car. "Put her in and send her to the second base location. We'll find the anthrax on our own." "Mom," whispered Sydney. She pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed Vaughn. "Mr. Sloane," said Marshall from a satellite com-link. "I just picked up an SD-6 communication signal coming from your area." "Analyze it further." "Vaughn," whispered Sydney. "Syd! What's up?" "Sloane is here! He recognized my mother and took her into custody. Sark is here too!" "Sir," Marshall said. "Yes?" "The cell phone was identified as Agent Bristow's." "Jack Bristow?" "No, Sydney." Sark saw Sloane's eyes widen and he knew that he'd found Sydney. "Mr. Sloane, I'll go and track her," he said. Sloane snapped back to reality. "Yes, go ahead and do that." Sark checked behind every clothing rack and searched the store. He began to get frustrated as he heard, "Vaughn, can you hear me? I need you to call Kendall and get to send a team out here-now!" The phone was roughly yanked from her hands and she spun around in her crouch. "Sark," she whispered. "I'm giving you a five-minute head start before I will begin chasing you. Marshall found your cell phone signal and identified it. In short, Sloane knows you're here. He also knows that your mother is a CIA prisoner. There is no doubt in my mind that he will offer a ransom for her return." "What about my." her voice trailed off. "Double-agent status?" "Yes." "As far as I know, he has no idea. He's just a little curious as to why a CIA prisoner is running around when she's supposed to be at the CIA headquarters, and while I'm interrogating her, your cell phone signal is found in the area. Your five minutes begins now, Miss Bristow. I will be keeping your phone in the event that I don't catch you." She nodded and took off running. Three and a half minutes later, she began to get a cramp in her side. She groaned and ducked into an alleyway. She couldn't go back to the hotel, in case they redialed the number and found.Vaughn, and Dad! She thought. She saw a shadow get closer to the alleyway and curled herself into a ball. She noticed that her purse has some sort of liquid stuck to it. She remembered what it was a minute too late.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Marshall's All Purpose Liquid Tracers," Marshall replied triumphantly. Sydney yawned. "Why do I always get stuck testing out your stupid inventions?" she asked.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
"Damn you, Sark," she said, peeling the almost invisible tracer off her purse. She took a deep breath, got up, and began running again. She heard footsteps gaining on her, but she kept running. She felt something grade her shoulder, but ignored it. She put her hand on her shoulder, and when she pulled away, saw the unmistakable blood on her palm. She felt dizzy and fell to the ground. The last thing she remembered before losing consciousness was Sark with a triumphant look on his face.  
  
***  
  
"Where is she?" Jack grumbled angrily, pacing the hotel room anxiously. Vaughn flipped through the channels. "You really need to calm down. Sydney will be fine." "It's not her that I'm worried about. She's got a good head on her shoulders. It's Irina and Sark that I'm worried about. They worked together once, and I'm sure that Sloane will find that out. The CIA won't pay the hundred grand that Sloane's going to want for Irina, and then what am I supposed to tell them- that I let my serial-killing ex-wife and my double- agent daughter go SHOPPING in Moscow? Oh, yeah, Kendall's going to be thrilled about that one. Vaughn chuckled. "He's going to be even more thrilled when he finds out." he looked like he had said something he wasn't supposed to. "What?" "Nothing." "Come on, it can't be any worse than you and Sydney are going out or something," he stopped as he saw the look on Vaughn's face. "You are going out, aren't you?" Vaughn nodded sheepishly. Jack shook his head. "Why have protocol if people are going to break it," he went into the other room. The phone rang. "Hello?" Vaughn answered. "Oh good, Agent Vaughn. I'm very glad that you answered," an all too cheerful voice came over the line. "What do you want, Sark?" Jack sat up from the couch in the other room. "You see, I have-or rather SD-6 has your girlfriend and her mother here. It's really quite a family reunion. Here's the deal, you hand over one- hundred grand for Irina, and you can have your precious little CIA prisoner back." "What about Sydney?" "She'll be discussed at a later date. Mr. Sloane has a special interest in her." "Gee, I wonder why," muttered Vaughn. "Vaughn?" Sydney's voice came over the phone. "Syd!" "Tell Dad not to worry about me! Get Mom out! They're going to force her to work for SD-6 and torture her!" Sark came back on the line. "There you have it, Agent Vaughn, although the last part you weren't supposed to hear. You have twenty-four hours to hand over the hundred grand, or Agent Bristow will be dead. We will be back in LA within six hours. I believe Jack knows where to find us," the line went dead. "What happened?" asked Jack. "We have twenty-four hours to get one hundred grand, and get Irina back, or they will kill Sydney." 


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five  
  
Sydney woke up and looked at her surroundings. This, she thought, looks strangely like the SD-6 hospital wing. Her eyes flew open and she sat up. She saw the IV in her arm and went to work on pulling it out.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Sark came into her room.  
  
"Why not?" she continued working the IV out of her arm.  
  
"They'll put you in restraints." He moved the sleeve of her hospital gown up past her shoulder, gently avoiding the bandage covering the place where the bullet had grazed her shoulder.  
  
"Where's my mother?"  
  
"Sloane's interrogating her. She hasn't told him anything, except for that she turned herself into the CIA, in case that was your next question."  
  
"Who shot me?"  
  
"Sloane did."  
  
"He can run that fast?"  
  
Sark chuckled. "Surprisingly, yes."  
  
She grimaced as she raised her right arm to help pull herself into a sitting position. Sark helped her, and she comfortably leaned back into the pillows.  
  
She couldn't help but feel slightly attracted to him. Stop, she mentally told herself. He almost killed Vaughn, he kidnapped and tortured Will, and he took your mother prisoner.  
  
She saw another face at the door.  
  
"Dad!" he hugged her and said coldly to Sark, "Get out." Sark merely nodded and left.  
  
"What happened?" he asked.  
  
"Sloane shot me. The bullet just grazed my shoulder." She pointed to her right arm.  
  
"He did?"  
  
"Sark told me."  
  
"And you trust him?"  
  
"Dad, I trust him over Sloane. He was here when I woke up. He gave me a five-minute head start. It was my own fault that I didn't notice Marshall's tracer. Sark was the one who told me what happened. Sloane wouldn't have."  
  
Jack looked skeptical. "I guess you're right," he said, giving up the argument. He kissed her forehead. "Get some rest."  
  
"Dad?" she asked as he turned to leave.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Are you guys getting mom out of here?"  
  
"We don't have a choice."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Vaughn got a call from Sark saying that if we didn't hand over the one hundred grand and get Irina, they'd kill you. Weren't you there?"  
  
"No, I had passed out and when I woke up, I was tied to a chair. Sark came in with Sloane behind him. He told me that it was Vaughn."  
  
"Interesting." He turned to leave.  
  
"Dad?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Tell Vaughn I love him," she said, completely not caring about protocol. Jack nodded, his face showing no expression and watched as Sydney fell back against the pillows and fell asleep.  
  
She woke up an hour later to find Sloane entering the room.  
  
"And how is our disloyal agent doing this afternoon?"  
  
"Define disloyal," she shot back coldly.  
  
"Double-agent," he smiled smugly.  
  
"I have no earthly idea what you are talking about."  
  
"Oh you know, Sydney. Three letters- C.I.A. You don't have to lie to me and I just might spare your life."  
  
"SD-6 is the CIA, or at least a branch of it," she lied.  
  
"You know what SD-6 really is."  
  
"You know that you shot me," she retorted.  
  
"Prove it."  
  
"Get the bullet analyzed."  
  
He held up a syringe. "Do you know what this is?"  
  
"More than likely poison."  
  
"It's 100 milligrams of morphine, Sydney. Not only will it end the pain in your shoulder, you will just simply drift away, until your brain ceases to function."  
  
Her eyes widened, but she remained calm. "An autopsy could easily tell that someone in the SD-6 hospital wing killed me."  
  
"But they couldn't tell who."  
  
Sark pulled out his gun and held it to her head. "Do you work for the CIA or not."  
  
"Blow my brains out Sark, I dare you," she coldly challenged.  
  
She heard the trigger being pulled back, and closed her eyes, preparing for the end to come. She felt the cold gun being pulled away and opened her eyes.  
  
"Why were you in Russia?"  
  
"I was taking a vacation."  
  
"With your mother?"  
  
"My mother died in a car accident."  
  
"Then who is Irina Derevko?" "She was someone that I met in Russia."  
  
"Where is your father?"  
  
"What is this, twenty questions?"  
  
"Sydney, don't lie to me."  
  
"I have no idea what you are talking about."  
  
Sloane spun on his heel. "Mark my words, Sydney, I will find out your secret.  
  
As soon as Sloane had left, Sark burst into laughter. "Twenty Questions?" he asked.  
  
She gave him a cold stare. "You tell Sloane about my double-agent status, and he will find out about your plans."  
  
Sark held up his hands in mock surrender. "He won't find out."  
  
A few days later, the pain was completely gone from her shoulder. She entered SD-6 headquarters and found her father.  
  
"Hey," he said. "Sloane wants you."  
  
She dodged the statement. "How's Mom?"  
  
"Not good," Jack replied grimly. "Sloane's starving her. He's moved onto a new target- you. He's convinced that you're a traitor."  
  
Sydney just nodded and headed for Sloane's office. She stood in front of his desk.  
  
"You will be interrogating Irina. She refuses to talk. We need to find out where her former KGB base is."  
  
Sydney nodded, and turned to leave.  
  
"Sydney?" she turned around.  
  
He tossed her an apple. "Bribe her with this.  
  
***  
  
Sydney stood in front of her mother's cell and boldly stared up at the camera. She knew that Sloane was watching and riding her loyalty on interrogating Irina.  
  
"Where is you former KGB base?" she asked, casually tossing the apple.  
  
Irina looked desperately at Sydney, then to the apple. Sydney moved her eyes to the surveillance camera, and then back to Irina.  
  
"Somewhere in Russia."  
  
"I figured that out, Irina. Where in Russia?"  
  
Irina sighed, but her eyes widened as she watched Sydney pull out a gun. "Where is it?"  
  
Irina knew that she was putting on a show for Sloane.  
  
"Ninety miles south of Moscow."  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
"I'm sure. Sydney lowered the gun and tossed Irina the apple. She turned and left the room.  
  
"That was absolutely fabulous, you know," Sark came up behind her. "You played the Agent Bitch part perfectly. I'm sure that Sark was quite pleased."  
  
"He's starving my mother."  
  
"Come on," Sark pulled her into a room and tossed her a janitor's uniform.  
  
"I am not wearing that."  
  
"Do you want your mother to starve to death? Do you want Sloane to continue torturing her?"  
  
"No," she said quietly, putting the uniform on and pulling her hair into a ponytail. She slipped the ponytail through the hat and grabbed her bucket and mop. Sark tossed her a key ring. "Your alias is Brenna Reid. You've been sent to clean the prison ward." He handed her a pair of earrings. "The right one is a com-link and the other one is a camera, so I can see you."  
  
She nodded, put the earrings on, and went to work on rescuing Irina.  
  
She began mopping the floor along Irina's cell and pulled out her key ring. She tried key after key and froze as she heard voices. Sloane and her father.  
  
"Who are you?" asked Irina.  
  
Sydney lifted her hat up a little.  
  
"Sydney!" she breathed.  
  
"Agent Bristow," Sark came over the com-link. "Sloane and your father are on their way. You need to hide or get out of there."  
  
"Okay." Sydney opened the door to a utility closet and ducked inside.  
  
"Good spot," said Sark.  
  
"Thanks," said Sydney.  
  
She heard Sloane and Jack approach Irina's cell.  
  
"It has come to my attention that you assisted the CIA in stealing nuclear warheads in Kashmir. Tell me what you did at the base," said Jack. Sloane held an apple.  
  
Irina sighed and said, "I was a prisoner."  
  
Sloane threw her the apple. "And you learned the sewer system?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Thank you," he said with a nasty grin. He turned and stalked off.  
  
"I'm getting a key. We're going to get you back to the CIA." Irina looked nervously at the camera.  
  
"I disabled it."  
  
Sydney stepped out of the closet. Jack pulled out his gun.  
  
"Don't shoot!" She took off the hat and shook out her hair.  
  
"Sydney."  
  
She continued to insert key after key into the lock.  
  
"Where'd you get those?" asked Jack.  
  
"Sark."  
  
"You really need to stop trusting him."  
  
She finally found the right one. "Get her out of here. I'll meet you guys at headquarters." 


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six  
  
Sydney entered the CIA headquarters and saw Kendall, Jack, Vaughn and Irina talking.  
  
Vaughn's eyes lit up once he say Sydney. "I missed you."  
  
"I missed you too." She desperately fought off the urge to kiss him.  
  
"You freed her, Sydney?" asked Kendall.  
  
"Yeah, Sloane was starving her."  
  
"All right. Take her back to her cell."  
  
"Wait," said Sydney. She gave Irina a quick hug. Vaughn put his arm around her and Kendall began explaining her latest counter-mission.  
  
"Sydney, your father has informed me that you will be going on a mission with Sark to obtain the maps for the next location of a Rambaldi Artifact."  
  
"A mission with Sark?" she shuddered.  
  
Jack took over. "Vaughn, as usual, will be your contact. You will rendezvous with the map carrier in Zurich."  
  
"And that is where?" asked Vaughn.  
  
Jack and Sydney looked at each other. "Switzerland," they both replied.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Anyhow," continued Jack, "You will meet the carrier in Zurich, in a little pub on the edge of town. Your alias is Marie Crane, and you live in Besancon, France. Sark is your husband, Miles, if anyone asks. You have to meet Sloane and Sark in a half hour and your flight leaves in two hours."  
  
"Did Sloane tell you to brief me?"  
  
"Yeah. I told him you were busy with your friends today."  
  
She turned and headed for the door. Vaughn caught up to her as she stepped out into the cold December air.  
  
"The game's on Friday," he said, kissing her. "You can come, right?"  
  
"The mission should be a short one- I'll make sure of it," she smiled and got into the car. "I love you," she said.  
  
"Love you too," he smiled as she drove away.  
  
She quickly packed and headed for SD-6.  
  
"Agent Bristow," Sark met her at the door. "Your father briefed you, I assume?"  
  
She nodded. "My suitcase is in the car."  
  
"Good. Sloane is looking for you."  
  
She followed Sark to Sloane's office.  
  
"Sydney, your father briefed you, I take it?" She sighed and replied in an annoyed tone, "Yes, he did."  
  
"Do you have the earrings that Sark gave you?"  
  
Sydney gave Sark and odd look, but remembered the earrings that he had given her, the com-link and video ones.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Use those to communicate with me when you get to Switzerland and meet the carrier."  
  
Sydney fought to keep from cringing. Communicating with Sloane?  
  
Sark chuckled as he saw the expression on Sydney's face, but regained his composure as he said, "We've got to go catch our flight," and he ducked out, laughing.  
  
***  
  
Sydney sat on the plane with her arms folded, next to Sark.  
  
"You could at least look a little happier," he said.  
  
She ignored him and put on her portable CD player, turning it up to full blast.  
  
She got off the plane and Sark graciously said, "I'll go and get the luggage." She nodded and sat down to wait.  
  
What's up with him, she asked herself. He's actually acting.normal or nice, I can't decide which one. She shook her head to clear it.  
  
She looked up and saw Sark standing with the bags. She took hers and he silently led her to a cab.  
  
They checked into a hotel and to Sydney's horror, she saw only one bed.  
  
"What.the." she stuttered. He smiled; catching her off-guard was his favorite pastime.  
  
She got nervous. Had this been a mission with Vaughn, she wouldn't have minded.much.  
  
"There's a couch in the corner with a sofa bed. We're married, remember?"  
  
She faintly nodded, her mind in another world.  
  
"My source says that the carrier will be in position at 7:15 tonight with a group of friends, gamblers, mind you. We will not be going as husband and wife."  
  
"Thank God," muttered Sydney.  
  
"Agent Bristow-"  
  
"Sydney, Sark."  
  
"Sydney. You don't like this any more than I do, but we have to work together."  
  
"Until I get the artifact."  
  
"No doubt you have a counter-mission, am I right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You can keep the map."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Keep the map. Sloane has a list of other possible locations."  
  
"What's the catch?"  
  
"There isn't one."  
  
"Sark, I know you. There's always a catch."  
  
"Anyhow, you are going to come in about fifteen minutes after me. Use your alias. One of my friends is hosting this. The one thing that you'll have to know is that this is a high-stakes poker game."  
  
Sydney burst out laughing. "A poker game? We're going to a poker game?"  
  
Sark gave her a look. "Yes, a poker game. The map is a part of the pot. If neither of us gets it, we will hunt down and kill the winner."  
  
Sydney nodded. She fell onto the bed and flipped through channels.  
  
She laughed as Sark finally came out of the bathroom, fully dressed an hour later. He was wearing an all-black suit and sunglasses."  
  
"What's so funny?" he asked.  
  
"Okay, one, it's dark. You don't need sunglasses. Two, you're going to a pub, in a suit. People are going to notice you. And three, you look like a 'Men In Black' wannabe."  
  
He gave her a nasty look over his sunglasses. "There's a list of your clothing options on the counter. Look it over and if you have any questions, call me."  
  
He turned to leave. "Sydney?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Don't order room service. Sloane told me that I'd have to pay for it."  
  
He shut the door, leaving Sydney to her very confused thoughts.  
  
She decided to get ready and went into the bathroom, where as promised, lay the note.  
  
"Agent Bristow," she read aloud. "Either wear one of your *cough* blah suits that you wear to work, or (my personal favorite) that wonderful little black dress that you wore when we had dinner-well, almost- with Sloane. -Sark."  
  
There was something crossed out before he had signed his name. It resembled an.A, she thought. Did he actually almost sign a first name?  
  
She shrugged it off and grabbed, as Sark described it, a "blah" suit.  
  
She paired a short black skirt with a hot pink blouse and a black jacket. She added the earrings and activated them.  
  
"Agent Bristow?" the voice that came over the com-link wasn't Sloane's or her father's.  
  
"Who is this?"  
  
"Marshall."  
  
"Hey! Listen; tell Sloane that I'm sorry that I'm a bit late. I'm leaving to join Sark in a minute."  
  
She finished her hair and added Sark's touch- the sunglasses.  
  
"Sydney?" asked Sloane.  
  
"Hi. I'm going to join Sark now."  
  
"And your alias is?"  
  
"Marie Crane. J'a vingt-sept ans, j'habite en Besancon, la France, et je travaille pour Mr. Sark," she responded.  
  
"Run that by me again," said Marshall.  
  
Sydney sighed. "I'm Marie Crane, I'm twenty-seven, I live in France and I work for Sark."  
  
"Parfait!" said Sloane.  
  
"Perfect, Marshall," Sydney translated.  
  
"I knew that much."  
  
"I'm leaving now."  
  
"Good, Sydney," said Sloane.  
  
She entered the pub.  
  
"Three, two, one," counted Sloane.  
  
"What was."  
  
A whistle was shot at Sydney by one of the men sitting at the bar.  
  
"Perfect timing," said Sloane. "We have visual contact. Turn toward Sark."  
  
"You're so funny," she muttered as she walked toward Sark and sat down.  
  
"Gentlemen, this is Sy-I mean Marie Crane," said Sark in perfect French.  
  
"Pleased to meet you," she replied, knowing full well that all eyes were on her.  
  
"You've got a great audience," Sloane said.  
  
Sydney threw in her share of the pot and watched as the map was brought out.  
  
"That's it," said Sloane.  
  
Sark leaned over and whispered, "And you laughed at my sunglasses."  
  
"I loved the note," she sarcastically replied.  
  
"Too bad you didn't listen to me." It was his turn. "Raise," he said, tossing in a hundred-dollar bill.  
  
"Tell Sark that he's stupid to raise-and swap your nine, five, and seven for three of his cards."  
  
She leaned over. "Sloane says you're stupid to raise and to trade me three of your cards for my hearts."  
  
Sark slipped her the cards and she gave him the others.  
  
They revealed cards-  
  
Sark with a flush,  
  
Sydney with a straight,  
  
And a mix of pairs and two pairs.  
  
Sloane continued to tell them to switch until the heavyset man sitting across from Sydney yelled, "Cheater!"  
  
Sark grabbed the map while Sydney dodged a punch.  
  
"¡Sydney! ¡Run!" yelled Sark in Spanish.  
  
She threw a punch and knocked a guy unconscious.  
  
"Are you going to really fight?" asked Sloane.  
  
"I'm wearing a skirt, and a short one at that," she snapped, punching another one.  
  
She pulled her gun from her purse and hit the man attacking Sark in the back of the head with it. He slumped to the ground.  
  
"Let's go," she grabbed Sark and ran for the rental car, dodging bullets.  
  
"Bulletproof cars are great, don't you agree?" asked Sark.  
  
"Oh yes, I agree," said Sloane.  
  
"Sloane agrees," she said.  
  
They quickly checked out of the hotel and went to the airport, "Just in case they try to follow you," said Sloane.  
  
*Fifteen Hours Later*  
  
Sydney got off the plane tired, grumpy and worst of all, jetlagged.  
  
"You don't look so good," said Sark.  
  
"I've spent 30 hours on a plane, run from a bunch of poker-playing thugs and you expect me to look good?"  
  
He drove her back to her house and helped her to the door, afraid that if he helped her any more, she'd shoot him.  
  
"Where's the key?" he asked.  
  
"Under the doormat," she slowly replied. She had fallen asleep on the ride home. He had tried to wake her up, but she was still half asleep. He gently carried her inside.  
  
"Syd? Is that you?" Francie asked, coming out of the kitchen. She screamed when she saw Sark, and Will came running. His eyes narrowed when he saw Sark.  
  
"Francie, it's one of Syd's friends from the bank, Mr. Sark."  
  
"Sydney and I went to the same conference and we've flown for thirty hours in the last two days. She was tired and jetlagged, so I brought her home. She fell asleep in the car, but woke up long enough to tell me where the key was."  
  
Will led Sark to Sydney's bedroom.  
  
"What are you really doing here, Sark?"  
  
"Bringing Sydney home."  
  
Sydney stirred and sleepily sat up.  
  
"Syd, are you okay?" asked Will.  
  
"Tired and jetlagged, but fine."  
  
"You're sure, Agent Bristow?"  
  
Her eyes flew open at the sound of Sark's voice.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"I brought you home. I'm getting ready to leave. The map is in the front pocket of your suitcase, which is on the couch. You have the day off tomorrow."  
  
"Thank you," why was she thanking the cold-hearted monster?  
  
"You're welcome, Sydney," he said, gently placing a kiss on her lips before once again leaving her to her very confused thoughts. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven  
  
Sydney paced anxiously in the living room. Vaughn would be here any minute.  
  
Stop, she mentally said to herself. Vaughn will be here any minute. You are going to go to that hockey game, enjoy yourself, and have fun with Vaughn. You will not think about Sark while you are gone.  
  
She glanced at herself in the mirror. Casual, she thought, but nice.  
  
Vaughn beeped from his car, and at the same time, her pager went off.  
  
"Sark told me I had the day off!" she yelled, frustrated at her pager for ruining a perfect moment.  
  
She looked at it and smiled. It was Vaughn.  
  
She left the house and saw Vaughn, smiling back at her. She got into the car.  
  
"Hey," she said.  
  
"Hey," he replied, kissing her. He looked at the clock. "The game's in an hour."  
  
"Who are the Kings playing?"  
  
"Blackhawks."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Who cares, really?" He smiled at her.  
  
They found their seats and watched as the game began. Halfway through the game, the lights flickered and then shut off for a minute, then came back on.  
  
A voice came over the intercom. "Sydney Bristow and Michael Vaughn to the information desk, Sydney Bristow and Michael Vaughn to the information desk."  
  
Sydney and Vaughn looked at each other curiously, and counted to thirty after the game had started up again so that they wouldn't attract attention. They grabbed their jackets and headed for the information desk.  
  
"I recognized that voice," Sydney said.  
  
"How did someone know we were here? If Kendall finds us, we're dead."  
  
Sydney nodded as they walked to the empty desk.  
  
"Did you bring your gun?" asked Vaughn.  
  
"No. I've just got a small thing of mace that I'm saving for Sark."  
  
Vaughn laughed, but his eyes widened as his mouth was covered and his hands were yanked behind his back.  
  
"So glad to hear that, Miss Bristow," said an eerie voice. Sark, she thought.  
  
He led them to a black car and pushed Vaughn into the back. He motioned for Sydney to get in the front. She silently did so.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Sydney.  
  
"Sloane found out about your double-agent status. Your father was tortured for information and almost killed."  
  
Sydney sat back in the seat, her eyes wide. "He wouldn't turn me in, would he?" she desperately asked Vaughn.  
  
Vaughn avoided her eyes and looked out the window.  
  
"I've gotten the both of you an alias and one apartment for the two of you. I hope that's okay."  
  
Sydney and Vaughn both nodded.  
  
Sark pulled up in front of a large apartment complex. "You are Anna and Mike Taylor. Anna is a fifth grade teacher and Mike works for a bank. The rest of the instructions are in this envelope. I will drop by tomorrow and fill you in. If Sloane forgets or has the wrong information, this meeting will have never happened and you will come back to work."  
  
Sydney rolled her eyes. "The bank thing was my alias."  
  
"Vaughn can still work for the CIA. He is still a single agent and has nothing to do with SD-6."  
  
Sydney opened the door. Vaughn got out and headed inside.  
  
"As soon as you're out of danger, we'll bring you back," said Sark.  
  
"Sark, about the other night," Sydney began as soon as Vaughn was out of earshot.  
  
"When I kissed you?"  
  
She nodded. "Did you mean it?"  
  
He looked at her. "Yes," he said slowly. "I did. You'd better go," he said, looking at Vaughn. She nodded and went to him.  
  
"What was that about?"  
  
"Sark was trying to reassure me."  
  
"Oh. Come on. I got the key," he said, holding it up.  
  
They went to their apartment and unlocked the door. They went inside and Sydney began looking around. Vaughn came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned back into his embrace and sighed. She looked up into his eyes and he leaned down and kissed her.  
  
She finally pulled away and flopped down on the bed. She sighed again and fell asleep.  
  
***  
  
"Sydney," Vaughn gently shook her awake.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"It's 6:00. You have to be at your new job by 8:30. You start today, remember?"  
  
She sat up and looked at Vaughn. He smiled and she smiled back in response as she saw the messy bedcovers, signaling to her that he'd been sleeping the whole time beside her and she hadn't even noticed.  
  
"You kick," he said with a smile when he saw where her gaze was directed.  
  
She shook her head to clear it. "I just realized that I don't have anything to wear."  
  
"Sark provided a bunch of stuff in the drawers and closet."  
  
She got up, curious as to what Sark had provided for her.  
  
She decided on a long jean skirt with a hot pink peasant top. She brushed out her hair after she showered and opted to leave it down. She looked older, but still like the same old Sydney. She modeled her outfit for Vaughn, who nodded in approval. He kissed her and handed her an apple and a packet of papers.  
  
"What are these?"  
  
"Directions for the school, a lesson plan, your résumé, stuff like that."  
  
She smiled and handed him a letter. "Give this to my father. He deserves to know that I'm okay."  
  
Vaughn nodded and she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. The phone rang as she was leaving. Vaughn answered it. "Syd," he said. "It's for you."  
  
She looked at him quizzically and he shrugged.  
  
"Hello?" she asked.  
  
"I'm out front with the car. I will be driving you to and from work so that Sloane doesn't find you and Vaughn together." She heard the line go dead.  
  
"Who was it?" asked Vaughn.  
  
"Sark. He's going to be taking me to work. We can't be seen together." She kissed him. "You'd better get going. You have over an hour drive back to LA."  
  
"Yeah. Why couldn't Sark at least have kept us in LA?"  
  
"I agree. Long Beach? I'd never even heard of it." She grabbed her bag and headed out the door, calling a quick "I love you" over her shoulder.  
  
"Hey," she said to Sark as she slid into the passenger seat.  
  
"Hi," he shook off the urge to kiss her right there and started driving.  
  
They rode in silence until they came to a stoplight. Sark leaned over and kissed her. Her eyes widened and she thought for a second about slapping him, but decided against it. Instead, she instinctively reached for her gun that was usually kept at her belt, keeping Sark occupied by deepening the kiss.  
  
His eyes sparkled laughingly as he saw her reach for the gun that wasn't there. Her eyes widened when she realized that he knew what she was trying to do.  
  
He pulled away and laughed quietly. "What teacher carries a gun?" he asked.  
  
She averted her eyes in response.  
  
"You never fail to impress me, Miss Bristow."  
  
She looked down at the address of the school and noticed that they were flying by the street.  
  
"Sark, you should have turned back there," she said.  
  
She heard the doors click, signaling that they were locked.  
  
"Sark, what are you doing?"  
  
He didn't answer and kept his gaze straight ahead, avoiding her eyes.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded, her voice gaining a frightened edge to it.  
  
He pulled over right before they got onto the freeway.  
  
"Before I terrify you too much," he began, "let me explain. The teaching job was a fake. I didn't give you the whole story. Sloane knows about you and Vaughn. He is having your father hand him Vaughn tonight. I didn't want you scared to death, Sydney. As much as I may appear as a heartless son of a bitch, Sydney, I don't was to see you hurt. Vaughn is a smart guy, he'll figure out that he will have to lie to save both himself and you. Sloane tracked you and somehow found that you and Vaughn not only have a relationship, but that you were posing as a married couple. He sent a team to kill you today." He saw Sydney's shocked expression, but continued.  
  
"For both yours and Agent Vaughn's safety, Sydney, I'm pleading with you to say yes to this. It will help save Vaughn's, your father's, Francie's, Will's, everyone's. Sydney Bristow, I want you to marry me." 


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight  
  
*Christmas, Two Years Later*  
  
Sydney's POV  
  
Christmas Eve has come so quickly this year, and somehow I found myself wishing that I could spend it with Vaughn, instead of my husband.  
  
Why I had said yes to marrying him on that day, two years ago when he proposed is beyond me. I guess that when he said that I'd be protecting Vaughn that way, I went weak in the knees and said yes.  
  
Somehow, by marrying Andrew Sark and losing myself as Sydney Bristow, I felt like I had save the people that I love: Vaughn, Dad, Mom, Will, Francie, and most of all, my little girl: Ambria.  
  
After Andrew and I were married, we decided together that if we had a child, it would be harder for Sloane to find us, so I went ahead and allowed myself to have Sark's child. I don't think of Ambria as Andrew's child, but my little girl. She helps me forget Vaughn, at least a little. Somehow though, I feel like she should be Michael Vaughn's child, and not Andrew Sark's.  
  
I hear Ambria's squeal of delight and remember why I came up to my room; to get the camera. I finally find it and put on a smile as Ambria, my wonderful two-year-old daughter abandons her present to wrap her tiny arms around my leg. I now remember that my only reason for living is inside the grin of my blonde-haired, blue-eyed bundle of joy- my daughter.  
  
***  
  
Sark's POV  
  
She looks unhappy, I thought as her face lit up with false joy, something that I am so used to seeing on my wife's face. I know that it kills her, every day, to get up and see her daughter, identical to me, the same blue eyes, the same blonde mop of hair, but her nose and facial structure, smiling at her.  
  
Sometimes, I hope that I'll get stabbed or shot when I got to work, just so she can pack up her daughter, move back to LA, and go back to her old life. Somehow, I know that it will never happen.  
  
She sits down on the floor and hands Ambria another present to open. My daughter eagerly tears it open and smiles at us as she discovers the doll, hidden beneath the wrappings.  
  
Sydney, my darling wife, was so hesitant, that day that I proposed, for both her and Vaughn's sakes. She never realized that I truly cared about her and how hard every mission with her was and that I had to fight back the urge to kiss her right there and then.  
  
I suppose that she's grown to love me, just knowing that she's saving Vaughn by being my wife and raising our daughter. She thinks of Ambria more as her daughter, than mine, and I know that and accept it.  
  
Still, I always find myself wondering if there is a way to bring back the smile that she had before she married me, two years ago. I would see it when she was with Vaughn, or even when we were competing on a mission for SD-6 or fighting in another pointless argument. I wonder if I can bring it back.  
  
***  
  
Vaughn's POV  
  
She's been gone for two years and six months, but who's counting? I ask myself this every day. The last picture ever taken of her and me sits on my dresser and I stop to look at it every morning. I still have the newspaper article that was published the day after the shooting. Sark murdered Sydney, that same thought keeps coming back to haunt me, night after night.  
  
The article had said that she- Anna Taylor, that is, was on her way to her job as a fifth grade teacher when she was shot and left to bleed to death. The murderer, who had been identified by the CIA, or probably SD-6 once again posing as the CIA, was identified as Mr. Sark, an agent for the CIA. The funeral was a few days later, and I hadn't bothered attending, or rather, I couldn't attend.  
  
Alice and I got back together two weeks ago. I don't know why, I just need someone to be here for me. She never knew who Sydney was, she just knew her as Rita.  
  
I still find myself wondering every day, is she still alive and out there, somewhere? Did she fake her death, or did someone fake it for her?  
  
***  
  
  
  
  
  
Jack's POV  
  
Sydney.I find myself thinking about her once again. Sure, I saw the newspaper article, but I refuse to allow myself to believe that Sark killed her. She was the one connection between Irina and I, and now that link is gone. After her death, Irina refused to talk to anyone else and help the CIA. She always looks so lonely when someone goes in to visit her. I just can't believe Sydney's gone though.  
  
Things have been different around SD-6 without Sydney or Sark. The aggressive atmosphere, the competition, it just isn't there anymore.  
  
Somehow, I know that my daughter isn't dead, that she's alive somewhere, and happy. That's enough for me.  
  
***  
  
Sydney sat with Ambria on her lap next to Sark, watching Frosty the Snowman on the TV. Ambria laughed happily as Frosty came to life and crawled closer to the TV.  
  
Sark scooted a bit closer to her, just to see what she would do. She stayed put and he put his arm around her. She moved closer into his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. If someone had looked in their living room window right at that moment, they would have seen a perfect family.  
  
Sydney stretched and picked Ambria up. "Time for bed, sweetheart," she said to the little girl.  
  
"I'll help you put her to bed," Sark offered.  
  
"It's okay," she said. The fake smile was back again. "I can do it."  
  
She whisked their little girl upstairs and put her into her crib. Ambria snuggled against her overstuffed pink bear and Sydney heard her whisper, "Night, night Mommy" in her little baby babble.  
  
Sydney paused at the top of the stairs, wondering if she should go back downstairs to her husband or just go to bed. She had grown to love him, or at least more than she had when she had first married him. She decided to go back downstairs. Sark had turned on The Santa Clause, on the Disney channel. She sat back down next to him and he put a supportive arm around her.  
  
"Can't we watch something a little less juvenile?" she asked, laying her head on his chest.  
  
"I don't know, can we?" he asked with a teasing grin. She looked up at him and smiled, not a fake smile, but a real smile, her first in years.  
  
"We should get Ambria's presents out," she said. "But I don't want to move."  
  
He pulled her closer to him and she closed her eyes in pure bliss. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. Here she was, lying on her couch with Sark, of all people. She opened her eyes and saw him staring at her.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked.  
  
"Relaxing."  
  
"You're staring at me," she said with a small smile.  
  
"Like I said, I'm relaxing." He helped her get up. "Let's go get Ambria's presents."  
  
They brought up the ten small gifts for their daughter and Sark said, "Do you want to see if Kelly wants to watch her on New Years Eve?" Kelly was the teenage girl next door, and babysat for Ambria often.  
  
"I guess that would be okay," she said with a teasing grin. "I'd rather go on vacation though."  
  
"To where?"  
  
"Los Angeles."  
  
"You're kidding me."  
  
She fell back onto the couch and sighed. "Not really. I miss it. It sort of grows on you, you know?"  
  
He nodded and sat down next to her, both instinctively coming back to their original position; his arm around her, her laying on his chest.  
  
"Los Angeles it is," he whispered. "We'll leave tomorrow."  
  
"We can't," she said quietly. "What about Ambria?"  
  
"Then we won't go," he said simply. "We're a few hours away."  
  
"I want to, though."  
  
"I know," he gave her another smile.  
  
"Let's go," she said quietly. "I want to find my father."  
  
"We can't find your father. That's the thing. No one is to know we're there. Your father has worked for Sloane for over thirty years. He probably still is."  
  
"I just want to see everyone again."  
  
"I know," he kissed her, silencing her. When he pulled away, he said again, "I know." 


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine  
  
"Sydney!" Sark yelled from the kitchen. She looked up from reading Ambria a story and smelled something burning.  
  
"Coming!" she yelled back. She entered the kitchen and saw him standing over the stove, smoke coming from the pan. She turned off the stove and opened a window. He had successfully managed to burn the pancakes to the pan. She smiled, despite the burning smell in the kitchen and finally laughed.  
  
Sark had a cross expression on his face, "I try cooking and here's what happens. I accidentally burn the food to the pan and my wife laughs at me. I give up." He held up his hands in mock surrender.  
  
It was just like old times in SD-6, on missions: always competing. That was one thing that hadn't changed because of their marriage.  
  
The doorbell rang. Sydney looked at Sark suspiciously, wondering who could be ringing their doorbell at eight in the morning.  
  
"Get Ambria and get into the basement. Hide in the back room. If you hear the doorbell ring a second time after five minutes, you're clear to come up, otherwise, get out through the back door and hide in the woods." He opened the coat closet and gave her their coats. She scooped up Ambria and her book, plus a bottle and a banana and dashed down the stairs. Sark latched the door as a precaution. They had practiced this many times in case something happened.  
  
He slowly opened the door and saw two men standing on the step. "Yes?" he asked.  
  
"We're looking for Mrs. Sarah Ross," the taller one said.  
  
"Sarah Ross?" asked Sark.  
  
"You are Andrew Ross, am I correct?"  
  
"Yes. My wife went to work."  
  
The man flipped through his notes. "According to this, she doesn't have a job and would more than likely stay home with your daughter." Sark raised an eyebrow, amused. Someone was keeping excellent tabs on his family.  
  
"We have a warrant to search your house," said the man, pulling out the sheet of paper and showing it to him. He nodded and stepped back to let them in.  
  
They looked in every room, nodding and stopped at the kitchen. "What happened in here?" asked one of the men.  
  
"I burned my breakfast."  
  
"That's an awful lot of food for one person," said the man suspiciously.  
  
"I'm a big eater." He backed out of the room and went to the coat closet, searching his jacket for his handgun. He still hadn't broken the habit of carrying it around.  
  
The doorbell rang again and Sark jumped. Sydney, he thought. Don't come up, don't come up, he mentally pleaded.  
  
The two men went to the door and answered it. A shorter man wearing sunglasses and with graying hair stepped inside.  
  
"Sark," he said slowly, taking off the sunglasses. "I must say, I am surprised." Sark backed against the basement door as he heard Sydney's approaching footsteps.  
  
"Arvin Sloane," he muttered, as the footsteps got closer.  
  
"Did you search the place?" he asked the men.  
  
"All but this door. Step aside," the tall man commanded.  
  
Sark stayed put.  
  
"Honestly, Mr. Sark, you're perfectly safe, if you have nothing to hide," said Sloane. He pulled out a gun. "I am only going to ask you once. Step aside please."  
  
Sark looked at Sloane. His taller assistant undid the latch and Sark felt the door try and open against his back. Sloane only smiled more wickedly. The taller man pushed Sark aside and the door fell open, revealing Sydney and Ambria. Sloane pulled Sydney up and Sark took Ambria in his arms. Ambria buried her head in Sark's shoulder upon seeing Sloane.  
  
"Miss Bristow, or should I say." his grin widened. "Mrs. Sark." he gave Sydney an amused look. "It's been quite awhile."  
  
"Yes, it has, Arvin," she boldly stared at him.  
  
"Gentlemen, you are free to wait outside," Sloane dismissed the men.  
  
"Mama," Ambria said quietly, reaching for Sydney. For some reason, Sloane gave Sark an amused look as he handed the child to his wife.  
  
"Please," Sydney said with her eyes to the ground. "Sit." The courage that she had had disappeared.  
  
Sloane sat in a chair across from Sark and Sydney, who were seated on the couch with Ambria.  
  
"Sweetie," she began to her daughter, who looked up at her, curiosity in her blue eyes. "Why don't you go upstairs and pick out a new outfit for your dolly. Mommy will be up in a minute." Ambria nodded and toddled up the stairs.  
  
"How touching," said Sloane. Sark put his hand protectively on Sydney's. "I must say, first my two top agents die in a car accident and then what do I hear next, that they're married and have a child? This is very amusing, but I'm afraid," he said, drawing his gun and muttering something into an obvious microphone on his shirt, "That the two- or rather the three of you will have to come with me."  
  
Sydney looked at Sark, fear obvious in her eyes. Why hadn't the CIA brought down SD-6 yet? They should have done that years ago, they had enough information, she thought.  
  
Sark spoke first, "Sydney, go and get Ambria. I'll get our jackets. Mr. Sloane, please wait here for a moment. Sydney nodded and headed up the stairs. Sark grabbed his coat and ran after her. He pinned her against the wall in the guest bedroom where she was gathering a small bag of things.  
  
"You have to go," he said.  
  
"Let go of me," she said calmly.  
  
"You have to get out of here."  
  
"Sark, let go of me," the coldness was back in her voice. He raised an eyebrow. Where had his loving wife gone? She shifted her eyes to her shoulder. He saw a small black circle on her sweater. Sloane had bugged her when he pulled her up. He had heard everything that he had said. She quickly wrote down what she wanted to say on a sheet of paper.  
  
"I can't take it off," he read as she scribbled it down. "He has an alarm set. Why the CIA didn't take SD-6 down two years ago when they had the necessary information and power is beyond me, however we can't worry about that now. We have Ambria. I'm going to go get her and we will go with Sloane. Don't bring a gun- he'll shoot you, thinking that you're going to kill him. Be quiet and do what he says. We're going to find my father."  
  
She went into the next room.  
  
"Ambria, sweetie?" Ambria looked at her. "We're going on a trip. Come on, let's put your coat on." She put on her coat and picked her up. She handed her the doll. She tossed a few more things into the bag, including an extra shirt and jacket of her own and her cell phone, hidden in a pocket of Ambria's diaper bag.  
  
Sark had beaten her downstairs and put an arm around her as Sloane led them out of the house and into the back of a black car.  
  
"Where are you taking us?" asked Sark.  
  
"You'll find out," Sloane said dismissively. "And you'd be wise not to escape." He reached into the back seat from the front and took the bug from Sydney's shoulder and flaunted it in front of Sark. Sydney fought to keep from flinching when he touched her or hitting him when he taunted Sark.  
  
Sark knew that Sloane had heard what he had said, but kept his face expressionless and put his arm protectively around Ambria.  
  
Sydney had thought that they would be taken to SD-6 headquarters, a place that she and Sark were all too familiar with. The car stopped and they were yanked from the back seat. Sark was grabbed and pushed off one way by a team of men, Sydney and Ambria the other.  
  
***  
  
Suddenly as I was stuffed into a cell with my daughter, I knew how my mother had felt when she surrendered to the CIA. I feared more for Ambria's life than my own as Sloane entered the room, with my father.  
  
Dad's eyes widened as he saw my daughter and me standing there. Dad looked like he had aged about ten years since I had last seen him, two years ago. I assumed that it was from the torture- or torturing, plural, if Sloane had continued with it and my so-called death.  
  
Sloane stopped in front of my cell and Ambria hid her face in my jeans.  
  
"Whatever you do, don't hurt my daughter. She hasn't done anything to hurt you," I said. Yet, my mind finished for me. I fought back from laughing at my subconscious. My eyes narrowed at Sloane.  
  
Dad stared blankly at Ambria, looking like he'd seen a ghost or something.  
  
"I won't hurt your daughter," Sloane replied dismissively, as if he truly didn't care about her. I sighed, realizing that he wouldn't hurt her, "If you tell me everything that I want to know," he finished.  
  
"Where is my." my voice trailed off. Asking where Sark was would only make my marriage final to my father.  
  
"Mr. Sark has been taken to a different SD-6 location," Sloane answered. He added quietly, "Tell me what I want to know, Sydney and things can go back to the way that they were."  
  
I looked at him. I was halfway ready to give up and answer all of his questions to save Andrew and Ambria, but part of me didn't want things to go back to the way that they had been two years ago.  
  
"Were you, or are you still a double-agent and betraying SD-6?" I knew he was going to ask that. Somehow, I didn't know how to answer. I debated between saying yes and ending his cat and mouse game, and saying no, and then having to answer the next question: why I ran away.  
  
"No." I took a deep breath. "After telling Danny about SD-6 when we got engaged, when you murdered him, I honestly considered going to the real CIA and turning traitor for what you had done to my fiancé. My father talked me out of it, and convinced me to remain loyal."  
  
Sloane looked at me. "Why do I find myself doubting your loyalty?"  
  
"My intent has always been to help SD-6 in taking over the US government, and eventually the world. That, I swear, is completely true."  
  
"If you are completely loyal to SD-6, then why did you run from us?" "I was afraid of this same scenario, the double-agent accusations. You did it once, and I knew that you'd do it again."  
  
Sloane nodded and unlocked the cell. "You have been excused for this, Sydney, but mark my words, if you screw up again, it will cost you, dearly."  
  
I nodded. Somehow, I knew that this wasn't over. Sloane had another trick up his sleeve, somewhere. Arvin Sloane had never let anyone, not even my father, off the hook that easily. "What about Mr. Sark?" I asked.  
  
"Your husband," began Sloane, knowing that he was touching a nerve as my father flinched, "will be tested on his loyalty as well. If he is found trustworthy, he will resume his job also."  
  
I nodded and followed my father to his car. He was taking me to breakfast.  
  
We stopped at his car and I hugged him. "You have no idea how worried I was that you were actually dead," he said quietly.  
  
When we pulled away, I said, "I'll explain later." He nodded and we got in.  
  
"You have to find Vaughn. He deserves to know why you married Sark," Dad said, staring straight ahead as we drove.  
  
He pulled over in the driveway of a small house just outside of LA. I assumed that we were making a small stop for him to pick something up. He pulled out his cell phone and punched in the number to the CIA.  
  
I heard someone answer the phone.  
  
"Vaughn," I jumped as I heard his voice.  
  
"Vaughn, it's Jack. I need you to come over to Irina's now," he hung up the phone.  
  
"Irina's?" I asked.  
  
"Come on," he got out of the car. "Your mother was moved to a private residence, about a year ago under twenty-four hour surveillance of course. She has lived here ever since." We stopped in front of the door. "What are you waiting for?" he asked, seeing the hesitant look on my face. "Ring the doorbell."  
  
I took a deep breath as my finger touched the bell. I heard it echo inside the house and the door slowly started to open as my breath caught in my throat. 


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten  
  
Irina smiled, "Jack," she opened the door to let him in and noticed the two others standing with him.  
  
She stopped dead as she saw Sydney. "Sydney?" she asked.  
  
"Mom," Sydney replied, hugging her.  
  
"Vaughn's on his way," Jack said, entering the house.  
  
"Who is this?" asked Irina.  
  
"Mom," Sydney started. "This is my daughter, Ambria."  
  
Irina smiled. "You should have told Vaughn that he has a daughter." Sydney swallowed the tears that were threatening to fall. "She's not Vaughn's daughter." her voice trailed off and the tears spilled over.  
  
Jack finished for her, "She's Sark's."  
  
Irina gasped quietly, but silently nodded, putting an arm around Sydney and letting her cry.  
  
The doorbell rang. "It's Vaughn," said Jack, going to answer it.  
  
"I can't do this," Sydney turned and locked herself in the bathroom, leaving Irina alone with her granddaughter.  
  
Ambria climbed on the couch and crawled next to Irina and laid her head against her. Jack led Vaughn into the room. Vaughn smiled and said, "Irina, is she yours? I had no idea. It makes me wonder though, what we saw on the cameras during your interrogations and what you two were actually doing when Jack questioned you."  
  
"Ha, very funny," she replied sarcastically. Vaughn had slowly begun to trust Irina again, even though she had killed his father.  
  
"Where is she?" Jack looked at Irina, who flicked her eyes in the direction of the closed bathroom door. Jack nodded.  
  
"What did I miss?" asked Vaughn.  
  
Irina disentangled herself from Ambria and headed for the bathroom. She tried the door. It was locked. She took a bobby pin from her hair and started picking the lock with it. She opened the door and went inside.  
  
"Vaughn's here," she said quietly.  
  
Sydney looked up and nodded, her eyes red and puffy. "Does Vaughn know about Ambria?"  
  
"No. He was giving me grief about her being mine and your father's and wanted to know what actually went on when he questioned me."  
  
Sydney laughed quietly and wiped at her eyes one more time. She left the bathroom and saw Vaughn with his back too her, facing Jack.  
  
Jack stopped talking and Vaughn turned around.  
  
"Syd-Sydney?" he coughed out.  
  
"Hi, Vaughn," she said quietly. She sat down next to Jack. "I guess that I sort of owe everyone an explanation of what's happened over the years."  
  
"You're alive," breathed Vaughn. He wanted to forget these last two years and kiss her, but he noticed the ring on her finger. Screw her marriage, he thought and almost got up to kiss her.  
  
She sighed and began her story. "I guess that it all kind of started when Vaughn and I went to a hockey game and Sark found us. Sark told us that Sloane had discovered that I was a double-agent and was going to kill me, and Vaughn. We went into hiding. The next day, Sark offered to take me to work so that Sloane couldn't link Vaughn and I to the CIA. That was when he told me that Sloane knew where we were and was sending in a team of assassins to kill us. In order to protect that the people that I love, Sark.asked me to marry him." She took a breath and paused before continuing. "I said yes."  
  
When Vaughn heard those three words, he looked at the little girl sleeping peacefully by Jack. He knew that that had to be Sydney, and Sark's daughter.  
  
"Sark- Andrew and I decided that in order to make it harder for Sloane to track us, we would have a child." She stopped as she saw the cold look in Vaughn's eyes that was directed at her daughter. "I always thought that he was running from something too, but I never knew what. I never really thought about it that often," she continued. "Ambria is my little girl." She saw Vaughn look at her.  
  
"A day didn't go by when I didn't think of you," she said to Vaughn. "I learned to love Andrew, and he knows that I actually had to learn to love him, that I didn't when we first married. He knew that when he proposed, that my heart belonged then, and still does- to you, Vaughn."  
  
He looked at her and said, "If this is all you called me out here for, then I have to be getting back to work." Sydney nodded. She knew that they could never go back to the way that they had been.  
  
Vaughn stood to leave. "Sydney," he said, "Alice and I are going out again. We've been going out for a while now. I don't feel the same way about you anymore." He turned and left.  
  
"I don't know what to do," she confessed to her parents after he had left. "I suppose that I love Andrew, but I'm his wife, I have to. I'm going to love Vaughn until the day that I die, regardless of who I am married to and regardless of if he hates me and my daughter."  
  
"He doesn't hate Ambria," said Irina.  
  
"Mom, it was how he looked at her when I told him that I had married Sark."  
  
Jack stood. "Sydney, we have to get back to the CIA. They can probably use your help. You need to take your mind off this and go back to work. Irina, can you take care of Ambria?"  
  
She nodded and Sydney thanked her.  
  
"You and Mom have managed to patch your relationship," she noted as they drove.  
  
"Yeah," he said absentmindedly.  
  
***  
  
Sydney got out of the car and saw Alice and Vaughn talking. There was a little boy attached to Alice's leg. She walked by and heard bits of their conversation.  
  
"Just because we broke up doesn't mean that you don't have to help support your son," Alice snapped.  
  
"Alice, I have a job, one that takes up my entire life. I am willing to pay child support, but I cannot take care of a child. My job requires sacrifices and this is one that I am willing to make. I'm sorry." He walked away. Sydney ran after him.  
  
"How dare you," she said, causing him to turn around.  
  
"How dare I what?"  
  
"You get in a huff at me for having a child, but you don't bother telling me that you have a son."  
  
"It never came up. Plus, you were supposedly dead. You married Sark for God's sake Sydney! What was I supposed to say, "Oh, congratulations Sydney on marring a mad psychopath and by the way, I have a son?" Is that what you wanted me to say?"  
  
"You are the father of Alice's child! You get all upset at me for mothering Sark's child, but yet you expect me to be peachy-keen with you and Alice? I've never really liked her, she doesn't like me."  
  
"You were dead!"  
  
"What was I supposed to do? What did you want me to do? Call you up and be like, "Oh, Vaughn, I'm not dead, I married Andrew Sark and guess what, I'm pregnant!" Is that what you wanted?"  
  
"You could have said no to having a child!"  
  
"I'll show you the tape of what Sloane did to Dad and Francie. Francie and Dad were tortured for information about me and where you worked. They almost died, Vaughn. If SD-6 had found you, you were the next to be tortured. I married Sark and "died," dropped off the face of the earth to protect you! Don't you get it?"  
  
"You had Sark's child!"  
  
"Obviously you don't get it, Vaughn." She wanted to throw something in there about being all looks and no brains, but decided against it. "You're living in the past. Forget it!" She turned and ran.  
  
***  
  
Nice going Syd, she sarcastically congratulated herself mentally. You've turned this who thing into a soap opera! She wiped her eyes again and opened the bathroom door, ready to face her next CIA challenge: telling Kendall.  
  
Telling Kendall, she thought, this is going to be fun. I hope, she added as she walked, that I don't have to face Vaughn. Please God, don't let me have to face Vaughn. 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven  
  
Sydney fell onto the bed in Irina's guest room. Jack looked a little put out when Irina had said that she could stay with her, in Jack's guest room. Sydney had just laughed when her mother had told her that her father sometimes stayed overnight to "make sure that the CIA checks up on her once in awhile."  
  
Ambria was asleep next to her. Sydney was going to go and get an air mattress tomorrow so that she could sleep on that when Sark found them. She was getting worried. She hadn't heard from him since Sloane had found them that morning.  
  
Irina had tried to reassure her, "He's fine, don't worry. Sloane probably wanted to get him started." Sydney wasn't so sure. She sat up, her mind made up for her. She was going back to SD-6 headquarters to find Sark.  
  
Her mother was asleep on the couch with the TV on when she snuck out. She took her mother's car, which probably had a video camera in it somewhere, she later thought as she was driving and headed for SD-6 and Sloane.  
  
***  
  
Vaughn stood from his desk. The alarm that was rigged to Irina's car was going off, meaning that someone other than her was driving it. He flipped on the surveillance camera and saw Sydney driving, a grim expression on her face.  
  
His heart quickened about a hundred beats as he saw her tuck her hair behind her ear. He knew that there was a bug hidden in the car and he could talk to her if he wished, but he just watched her.  
  
Forget her, Vaughn, his mind told him. You lied to her, told her that you and Alice were still together, even though you've broken up three times since your son was born. You didn't tell her about your son.  
  
Finally, he broke down and put the headset on. "Find Kendall," he said to one of his co-workers, who nodded and rushed to find him.  
  
"Syd," he said into the microphone. He saw as she jumped and stopped at the light.  
  
"I don't want to talk to you, Vaughn. If I knew where the camera and bug was, I'd turn them both off," she started looking as the light turned from red to green and she continued driving.  
  
Kendall came to Vaughn's desk. "What is it?" he asked. He saw the surveillance camera. "What is she doing?" he asked.  
  
"She's in Irina's car. I don't know where she's going."  
  
Kendall put on a second headset. "Ms. Bristow, what are you doing?" he asked.  
  
"Leave me alone, Kendall," she said, driving faster. She arrived at her destination and saw the bug on top of the garage door opener.  
  
"Where are you?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"You lost the right to know where I am every second when I faked my death and you and Alice got back together. You lost that right again when you saw my daughter."  
  
Kendall looked at Vaughn suspiciously. "Long story," replied Vaughn, looking down. Sydney ignored the bug and got out of the car. She walked into the building and flashed her old badge.  
  
"Agent Bristow," the woman behind the desk said. "Mr. Sloane wanted me to give you your new badge." She handed it to her. It was a more recent photo of her, but otherwise was the same. He hadn't even bothered to change her last name. Didn't he realize that she was married?  
  
"Thanks," Sydney heard herself saying. She went to the basement and flashed her badge. She was admitted to the torture block of SD-6, somewhere that she wasn't very familiar with. Once through this hallway, she would be in the prison block.  
  
"I'm here to see Mr. Sark," she said, flashing her badge at the guard. She felt like she was at the CIA, questioning her mother all over again.  
  
"Agent Bristow, Mr. Sloane has requested that you not be allowed to see him. You'll have to take it up with him."  
  
"I have to see Mr. Sark," she repeated calmly.  
  
"You will have to talk to Mr. Sloane about that."  
  
She sighed, realizing that this wasn't going anywhere. She nodded and turned. She walked right into Sloane.  
  
"Sydney, how did I know that you'd be here?"  
  
"The guard told me that I'm not allowed to see my husband."  
  
"Did you mention that he's your husband?"  
  
She gave him a funny look. "No, why?"  
  
Sloane smiled. "Try it again, only mention that he is your husband." She sighed. He loved to pull tricks on her.  
  
She tried the guard again, "I'm here to see my husband, Mr. Sark."  
  
The guard nodded and moved aside to let her pass. She saw Sark inside a glass cell that looked like Irina's when she had been a CIA prisoner.  
  
He looked up from sitting on the cot, staring at the floor and saw her. He stood up and smiled. "You didn't bring Ambria?" he asked with a cocky grin. "She would have loved the view."  
  
"Your twisted humor is still intact, I see," she noted. "I'm so glad you're okay," she finally said.  
  
"I'm fine. I'm being held overnight for observation."  
  
"What is this, a hospital?"  
  
"In a way," he said.  
  
"What?"  
  
Sark rolled up his sleeve and she saw a large bandage. "What happened?" she asked.  
  
"Sloane shot me. It was all part of the torture. I wouldn't tell him what he wanted to know."  
  
"He's around the corner," she whispered.  
  
"I know."  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm alive, aren't I?"  
  
"You've got to get out of here, get that looked at by a doctor."  
  
"Sydney, it's nothing that can't wait until tomorrow morning."  
  
"Andrew."  
  
"Sydney, I'm fine."  
  
"Andrew."  
  
"Sydney?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Remember when you told me to tell you if you ever got annoying?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You're getting annoying." He smiled his trademark cocky smile. She smiled back. She wanted to kiss him so bad, but there was that little problem of the glass.  
  
They stood in silence for a moment before he said, "You'd better get back. Where are you staying?"  
  
"With my dad," she didn't bother to add that that she was staying with her dad in her mom's house. Jack was sleeping on the couch tonight, that is if he ever got back and Irina ever woke up. She was in the guest room with Ambria.  
  
"Good. You'll be safe there."  
  
"Yeah," she said quietly. "I'll be back tomorrow to."  
  
"Go to work," he finished.  
  
"Yeah. Work, it sounds so scary."  
  
"It does." He smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow." He turned and went back to the cot and lay down, facing away from Sydney.  
  
She watched him for a few moments, and then turned and left. She ran into Sloane.  
  
"Okay, first, you have to stop sneaking up on me like that and second, why the hell were you listening in on our conversation?"  
  
"First, I didn't sneak up on you, you ran into me. Second, I wasn't listening in, I was.waiting for you to come back so that I didn't interrupt anything."  
  
Sydney snorted and continued walking.  
  
"I shall expect you for work tomorrow, eight AM, Sydney," he called after her.  
  
***  
  
"Go away," she muttered as Jack shook her awake.  
  
"Sydney, you have to get up. Sloane's here."  
  
"What does he want?"  
  
"I didn't ask."  
  
"You should have."  
  
"I think Sark's with him, in the car."  
  
Her eyes shot open. She tossed back the covers. "Tell him to give me ten minutes." She grabbed her clothes and walked to the bathroom. She quickly showered and got dressed. She emerged from the bathroom to see Sloane and her father carrying on a decent conversation. Her mother, she guessed, was hiding somewhere, since as far as Sloane knew, was in hiding.  
  
"You've managed to get a very nice house, Jack."  
  
"Thank you, Arvin. It's not much, but it's enough, considering I'm never here."  
  
Sloane looked up. "Sydney," he nodded, acknowledging her presence. She sat next to Jack.  
  
"What can I help you with," she started and looked at the clock, "at seven- fifteen in the morning when I'll be coming into work in forty-five minutes?"  
  
"Sark is in the car. I figured, why not bring him to you."  
  
"What's the cost?"  
  
"Shipping and handling was free, but it'll cost you fifty bucks."  
  
"Very funny," she said sarcastically, following him out to the car. He unlocked the door and Sydney helped Sark out of the car. She untied his hands and undid his gag.  
  
"I still expect both of you at work in a half hour," Sloane said before driving away.  
  
"That was odd," Sark said, looking at her. She looked up at him and smiled, and kissed him.  
  
"I missed you," he murmured, running his fingers through her hair.  
  
"Andrew?" she asked, lifting her head from his chest.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Can we move this inside? The uh.neighbors are staring."  
  
He smiled at her. "Of course." He took her hand and led her inside. 


	12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve  
  
Sydney met Vaughn in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant, like he'd asked. She assumed that he was going to brief her and give her the SD-6 counter-mission. Sloane was sending her on a search for a chapter of the Bible, Irina's handbook. From what he had told her, after she had married Sark and disappeared, Irina's followers had broken up the Bible itself, and separated the chapters to make it harder to track down.  
  
"I'm going to Amsterdam," she said. The two of them had made very little contact since they'd had their fight. Kendall assumed that everything was the same with them and so they were back to the way things had always been, and so Vaughn was still Sydney's handler. "I'm going searching for the first chapter of the Bible." Vaughn's eyes widened as I mentioned the Bible.  
  
"I'm sure that I could work out what's in it out of my mother, but I don't have time," I continued.  
  
"Your counter-mission is simple. Steal the Bible from wherever it's hidden and bring it back to us before going to SD-6. We'll create a fake chapter and you can take that to Sloane."  
  
She nodded and turned to leave.  
  
"Sydney?" he asked. She turned around. "I'm sorry."  
  
She opened her mouth to respond, but instead kept walking and drove away.  
  
***  
  
Sydney stared out the window on the plane. She was working alone for a change with Sark as her SD-6 contact. Sloane had wanted to be the contact, but she had managed to convince him that if someone was listening in somehow, they could trace her to SD-6 too easily if he was on the line. Plus, by tracing her to SD-6 and Sloane, they could trace Sloane to the Alliance.  
  
"You there?" Sark asked, jolting her out of her thoughts.  
  
"Yeah," she flipped open her cell phone to make it look like she was on the phone and wasn't just talking to herself.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing. I'm just thinking, that's all."  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm sure."  
  
"You saw Vaughn."  
  
"What about Vaughn?"  
  
"You saw him. You had to talk to him. Sydney, we've been married for two years. I know you almost as well as I know myself."  
  
"Which isn't very well," she muttered.  
  
"Okay then," he laughed. "Maybe I don't know myself that well, but my point here is that, Sydney, I know when something's wrong. What did Vaughn say?"  
  
"He tried to apologize."  
  
"He did?"  
  
"Yeah. I didn't say anything. I wanted to say something sarcastic, something to hurt him." her voice trailed off.  
  
"Like he hurt you," he finished.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Sydney?"  
  
"Yeah?" she noticed how he never called her 'Syd.' That's what she liked about him. Syd was her nickname to Vaughn.  
  
"When you get to Amsterdam, check your email."  
  
She pulled out her laptop. "Why?"  
  
"Just do it, okay?"  
  
"I'm doing it now." She opened up the message from him and it had a heart with wings attached embedded in it with a note that said, "You have been emailed a hug." She smiled. His cute side was coming out and she hated it. She hated not being able to hate him.  
  
"You can't hate me now, can you?" he asked, reading her mind.  
  
She sighed and smiled. "No, I can't."  
  
***  
  
She turned on her famous trademark pearl earrings, the ones with the com- link and the video camera in them.  
  
"Vaughn?" she asked.  
  
"Are you radio-silent?"  
  
She debated on saying no, just to yank his chain. "Nope," she said, smiling to herself.  
  
"Agent Bristow, you had better be kidding," Kendall's voice added to Vaughn's, coming into her ear.  
  
Sark covered his mouth to stifle his laughter as Sydney got on both of their nerves.  
  
"Of course I'm radio silent. I may be a bit rusty after two years, but I'm not an idiot," she snapped. "Where is the chapter hidden?"  
  
"You're supposed to tell us that."  
  
"Right." she said, her voice trailing off. "I'm going back to SD-6."  
  
"Where is it?" she asked in French, so that Kendall and Vaughn couldn't identify Sark. "It's not in a warehouse, or a factory if that's what you're thinking. There is an underground cavern, hidden in the port. Turn left up here," she did. "See the loading dock?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"See the pile of crates to your right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Third one from the top. Pull off the seventh board from the right and put in your access code, 14270 and press the green button. That will slide the crates back and open up a stairwell."  
  
Sark stopped speaking. She knew that he wanted to say something else, just not in front of Vaughn or Kendall. She went radio-silent with Vaughn.  
  
"You can say what you want to now," she said in English.  
  
"You're radio-silent?"  
  
"What is this sudden obsession with me being radio-silent?" she asked.  
  
He chuckled. "You were right, there was something I wanted to say."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I want to work for the CIA as well."  
  
"Are we on a secure connection?"  
  
"Yes. I made sure of it. We're disconnected from SD-6 servers and on one of my private ones."  
  
"I vote you do what my mother did, turn yourself in, wait a year, and see if they trust you."  
  
"Very funny. Sydney, I'm serious here."  
  
She entered the access code and the boxes moved back.  
  
"I'm going to have to go back to Vaughn and Kendall now. Can we talk about this at home?"  
  
"Our home was blown up, remember?"  
  
"I meant my mother's house."  
  
"Sure. Love you."  
  
"Love you too," she went back to Vaughn and Kendall.  
  
"Agent Bristow, what happened?"  
  
"I knocked the com-link loose with my hair. It's windy."  
  
"Where are you?" asked Vaughn.  
  
"I'm inside. From here I think I'm going to head left and find the safe."  
  
"Be careful," warned Vaughn. Kendall looked at him suspiciously.  
  
Sydney smiled. So he did still care. "Going back to SD-6."  
  
"I'm back," she said in French to Sark.  
  
"Good. Head left and the safe should be behind a painting. Gently take it off the wall and do your stuff."  
  
She took the painting off of the wall and inserted her code-breaker. It opened the safe and she rummaged through it, naming off things as she saw them. "Disk, looks like blackmail, packet of papers, memo to Gerard Cuvee," she stopped.  
  
"Memo to Gerard Cuvee?" asked Kendall.  
  
"Memo to Gerard Cuvee?" asked Sark in English.  
  
"Sark?" asked Vaughn.  
  
"Sydney," said Kendall. "Care to explain?"  
  
"We're on a secure line, it's Sark's, not SD-6's."  
  
"I'll let you know if Sloane is coming so that you two in the CIA can shut up."  
  
"What's with the memo to Gerard Cuvee?" asked Vaughn.  
  
She read aloud, "It's dated for last week. They're getting more nukes for some reason."  
  
"Here we go again," said Vaughn. "This time, I'm not getting a helicopter and saving your ass."  
  
"That's a lovely thought," said Sark. "Sydney," he began. "Sweetheart," knowing that he was sending Vaughn over the edge on the other line. Vaughn cringed as he heard her response.  
  
"Yes dear?" They loved pushing Vaughn's buttons.  
  
"Your father is here. He wants to get on the line."  
  
"Four-way calling for spies. I like it."  
  
"Sydney?"  
  
"Yeah Dad?"  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"Digging through the safe. I found it." She flipped through the papers and took off a small bug. "I just found a tracking device. I'm sticking it on a crate here so that they'll follow that." She took off running.  
  
"I'm in my car," she said, starting the engine.  
  
"Where is everyone?" asked Kendall.  
  
"It might be a fake," said Jack. "I'm calling your mother."  
  
"Hello?" asked Irina.  
  
"Dad!" Sydney protested. "How many people can we get on one line?"  
  
"Hello?" Irina asked again.  
  
"Hello, Ms. Derevko," Kendall started.  
  
"Agent Kendall, to what do I owe this lovely phone call?"  
  
"Well," Sydney took over. "Dad, Sark, Kendall, and Vaughn are convinced that the chapter from the Bible that I just stole, I'm heading to the freeway and the airport now," she added, "is a fake."  
  
"Read me a bit. I may still have it memorized."  
  
Sydney read the first paragraph.  
  
"Go on," said Irina. "That part is fine."  
  
"It lists all of the base locations," said Sydney.  
  
"It's fake," said Irina. "The base locations are in the back of the real Bible, scrambled up."  
  
"Great," said Vaughn.  
  
"This is fantastic," Sydney said.  
  
"What is it?" asked Sark.  
  
"I'm stuck in Amsterdam with a memo to Cuvee, and my flight's delayed."  
  
"What about Cuvee?" asked Irina.  
  
"When I was rummaging through the safe, I found a memo to Cuvee."  
  
"So he's not dead," said Irina.  
  
"Of course he's not dead. The fighter planes didn't bomb the whole place before Agent Vaughn called off the strikes," said Jack.  
  
"Wait, Agent Vaughn ordered the strikes?" asked Sark.  
  
"You didn't tell him, Sydney?" asked Jack.  
  
"No. It never came up, we never talked about it, and I thought that SD-6 wasn't supposed to know that I sabotaged the mission with Vaughn. Plus, Andrew has a request."  
  
"Andrew who?" asked Kendall.  
  
"Okay, let's see here," began Sark. "You know your name isn't Andrew, right?"  
  
"Right," said Kendall.  
  
"And Sydney's name isn't Andrew."  
  
"Right."  
  
"Vaughn's name isn't Andrew."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Irina's name isn't Andrew."  
  
"Well hold on here," said Jack. "First it was Laura, then it was Irina, for all we know her name could be Andrew."  
  
Sydney slapped her forehead. "You are so dense."  
  
"Well, if it's not Irina, and it's not Jack." said Kendall.  
  
"Then who else on this line could be named Andrew?"  
  
"Somebody at SD-6?"  
  
"No!" Jack, Irina, Sydney, and Sark yelled.  
  
"Oh, I get it. It's Sark," said Kendall.  
  
Sydney sighed in frustration. "Yes, Kendall. It's Sark."  
  
"Okay," said Kendall, regaining his usual know-all attitude. "What does Mr. Sark want?" "I want to be a double-agent for the CIA. I've helped Sydney along the way. I'm in Sloane's inner circle, and I hate the guy's guts. What more do I have to do to join the CIA?"  
  
"I'm in his inner circle too," said Jack. "And you don't see me bringing back valuable information.  
  
"Remember the trip to Switzerland?" asked Sark.  
  
"Yeah," said Kendall.  
  
"And remember how I had to get that map?" asked Sydney.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Guess who let me keep it?"  
  
"Sark," said Vaughn.  
  
"Exactly. See, he's not all bad?"  
  
"I think there's a rule somewhere in protocol that states that a husband and wife cannot work for the same organization."  
  
"Really?" asked Irina. "Then why did you keep questioning me if we couldn't "work" for the same organization?"  
  
"There's a difference between working and being held prisoner," said Jack.  
  
"Forget it," said Sydney after another hour of arguing. "My flight's here, I'm going radio-silent with all of you."  
  
She boarded the plane and her cell phone rang. She dreaded answering it. "Hello?"  
  
"He said yes," was the only thing she heard. 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen  
  
Author's Notes: Okay, here goes. My fabulous beta-reader just informed me (the dumb blonde) that the Bible was destroyed. Well, that just about shoots down my whole storyline. The "Bible" (as I put it, since, like I said, have only started watching Alias and have only seen Season Two, Episode Six-what are we on, ten?) that was destroyed was a copy. The other copy was broken up into chapters and each was hidden in a different location, known only to Irina (probably) and a few others. Just in case you were reading this and like "What the heck? That thing was destroyed!" Okay, on with it!  
  
Sydney sat at the kitchen table, staring off into space. Irina came and sat down across from her. "What are you thinking about?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Sydney, I know you. You haven't touched your coffee and you have that far- off look in your eyes."  
  
"I'm thinking about Andrew."  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"Kendall recruited him for the CIA, at my request. Andrew's a double-agent, just like Dad and me. If Sloane were to find any of this out."  
  
"Sydney, you've hid this for years. What makes you think that Sloane's going to find out now?"  
  
"Now's when it's the most important that he doesn't find out. He let me off the hook, he took my "I don't work for the CIA, I'm not a double-agent" and said okay. Sloane doesn't let anyone, even Dad off the hook."  
  
Sark yawned, walking into the room. "Who doesn't let your dad off the hook?"  
  
"Sloane."  
  
"She's right," he said to Irina. To Sydney, he said, "We need to find our own place. If Sloane finds out that this actually is your mother's house, he'll hunt her down."  
  
Sydney nodded and took a drink of her coffee. "We can't have Sloane hunting her down. I can only lie to him so much before he catches on."  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked, placing his hands on her shoulders.  
  
"I've had better weeks, but I'll survive," she leaned her head back and smiled at him.  
  
"I'm going to go get dressed. The CIA lets me go out once a week for groceries and stuff. I'm going to go today," said Irina. Sydney nodded. Sark sat down across from her, taking Irina's place.  
  
"You're sure you're okay?"  
  
"I'm fine, Andrew. I'm just tired, that's all." She stood up to leave. "I'm going to go check on Ambria and get showered and dressed in the upstairs bathroom." Sark stood up with her and kissed her.  
  
"I love you," he said, letting her head rest on his chest.  
  
"I know," she smiled.  
  
He let her go and she headed upstairs. "We have to be at SD-6 in an hour."  
  
"I know," he waved her upstairs and said, "I'll check on Ambria for you."  
  
She showered and changed, feeling slightly better. She went back downstairs and saw her husband playing with her daughter. They were seated on the floor and Sark was trying to show Ambria how to do a puzzle.  
  
"See?" he asked. "This piece goes here."  
  
Ambria laughed and clapped her hands, and then grabbed a puzzle piece and threw it at Sark. She laughed again. He rubbed his head where the puzzle piece had hit him.  
  
"Are you okay?" Sydney asked, dropping to her knees beside him.  
  
He rubbed his head again. She moved his hair aside to see if there was a bump.  
  
"Of course I'm okay. Sydney, your daughter just hit me with a puzzle piece, and a wooden one at that," he said teasingly.  
  
"There's not a bump," she said, sitting back on her heels.  
  
Ambria looked at her parents. "Daddy?" she asked.  
  
"I'm okay, sweetie," he said, and picked her up.  
  
"You should go and get dressed," Sydney said, taking Ambria from him.  
  
"Yeah," he agreed.  
  
She kissed him quickly and he headed to go take a shower. Irina came back into the room.  
  
"What's wrong with Sark?"  
  
Sydney laughed quietly. "You still can't break the habit, huh?"  
  
Irina smiled. "Guess not. What about you?"  
  
"Me either. My mind still calls him Sark."  
  
"But he's not the cold-hearted son of a bitch who tortured Will anymore, is he?"  
  
She shook her head. "No."  
  
"Are you ready to go?"  
  
"I'm just waiting on Andrew."  
  
"I'm going to the mall today too. Anything you want me to pick up?" Sydney thought. "Anything you think Ambria might need. I've still got a few more outfits before I need to shop."  
  
"I'm sorry about the house."  
  
"It's okay, I'm going to make Sloane pay for it."  
  
Sark came flying down the stairs, kissed Ambria and grabbed his coat. "Come on, we've got to go."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Your dad just called. Sloane's on the rampage."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"The CIA infiltrated another possible location of the Bible. Vaughn went with them."  
  
"Why would Vaughn go? I'm the one who usually goes."  
  
"I have no idea why Vaughn went, but SD-6 found him and traced him to the CIA. They shot him and are holding him hostage as well."  
  
"You're kidding!"  
  
"No. Let's go, now!"  
  
They got into the car and drove as fast as the speed limit would allow to SD-6 headquarters.  
  
"I'm going to find my father," said Sydney, giving him a quick kiss.  
  
Sark's cell phone rang. "Sark," he said. He nodded and answered a few question, and then hung up.  
  
"It was Sloane. He wants me to meet him in the prison block for as he put it "My first day back." I assume that he wants me to torture Vaughn."  
  
She shook her head. "Vaughn's still mad at me too. If he dies."  
  
"Sydney, don't think that way. He's going to survive."  
  
She nodded and turned down the hallway to find her father. She turned the corner and ran into Marshall. "Hey," she said.  
  
"Welcome back," he greeted her.  
  
"I've got to go. Have you seen my father?"  
  
"In a meeting. Second door to the right. Sloane managed to snag some pretty- boy CIA agent, as he puts it." Marshall knew the truth about SD-6, but still worked undercover for the CIA at SD-6.  
  
"Agent.Vaughn?" she asked, uncertainly in case the security cameras were watching.  
  
Marshall raised an eyebrow and flicked his eyes at the one on the wall. "And-I mean Sark got a call from Sloane telling him to come down to the prison block. He assumed that it was to torture the CIA agent. Word travels fast around here."  
  
"Yeah, I agree. Well, see you later," he turned and went back down the other hallway.  
  
Sydney walked as fast as she could to the meeting room where Marshall had said that she would find Jack.  
  
She silently slipped into the conference between Cuvee, Jack, and several other agents. From what she had heard, she figured that they were trying to compromise something.  
  
"Where is Arvin?" asked Cuvee. Sydney slipped in and sat next to Jack.  
  
"What's going on?" she whispered.  
  
"Cuvee's getting mad that Sloane isn't here."  
  
"He's torturing Vaughn with Sark."  
  
"That's great," Jack rolled his eyes. "Why isn't he dead yet?"  
  
"I have no idea. Ask Kendall." He gave her a look as Sloane entered the room.  
  
"Gerard," he said, shaking his hand. "Sydney, Jack," he nodded and acknowledged them.  
  
"Where is Mr. Sark?" asked Cuvee.  
  
"He's busy at the moment. Something came up. He'll be here as soon as he can." Sloane sat down. "As most of you know, we're here discussing a possible alliance between SD-6 and Gerard Cuvee. If this is voted upon as being a good addition to the SD-6 allies, our bases, agents, and so on will be united for a common cause- finding the Bible."  
  
"And if the motion is shot down?" asked Jack.  
  
"This meeting will have never happened," said Sloane.  
  
"All in favor of linking forces with Gerard Cuvee?" asked Sloane. A few hands went up.  
  
"All opposed?" More hands went up, including Sydney and Jack's.  
  
"Undecided?" The remaining hands went up.  
  
"We have a two-way tie between favor and opposed," said Sloane. "We need Mr. Sark's vote."  
  
"I can vouch for him," said Sydney. "He'd be." her voice trailed off. He would have been in favor of it, based on his former alliance with Cuvee, but she could make him look the other way.  
  
"We'll ask him, Ms. Bristow," said Sloane.  
  
"He'd be in favor," she finished. Jack looked at her. Sloane smiled.  
  
"Gerard Cuvee, welcome to SD-6," said Sloane, shaking his hand. "Meeting adjourned."  
  
Sydney stood up and left the room. Jack followed her angrily.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking?" he asked, yanking her into a nearby room. She scanned the room for cameras or bugs.  
  
"He would have said yes. I would have had to make him look the other way. He worked with Cuvee when we went in for the nukes in Kashmir, remember?"  
  
"I remember. We sabotaged the mission. You could have just said that he wouldn't have wanted it."  
  
"But Sloane knows that he'd be in favor of it."  
  
Jack shook his head angrily. "You could have talked Sark out of it, you're his wife for God's sake!"  
  
"I'm not his mind! I can't say what he'd do and not do. I'm sorry, I have to go find Andrew and see what exactly he is doing to Vaughn." She turned to leave and Jack grabbed her arm.  
  
"You persuade him to look the other way," his eyes were cold. "Or else everything that we've worked for is useless."  
  
"No it's not. We have the inside on Cuvee now."  
  
"But SD-6 is now going to be harder to bring down with Cuvee and his men attached. It's also going to send them on a rampage for Irina."  
  
"Why would they want Mom?"  
  
"Your mother knows the location of the Bible, something that the CIA and SD- 6 both want."  
  
"What is so important about the stupid Bible? All it is are base locations and blackmail. Big deal."  
  
Jack shook his head. "The Bible is the key to your mother's operations."  
  
"Yeah, I know," she cut him off.  
  
"If we have the key, we can infiltrate their bases, take control of their knowledge, that sort of thing. Did Irina ever mention to you that the key to Arvin Sloane's undoing is in that book?"  
  
Sydney looked confused. "No, she didn't."  
  
"It is. That's why SD-6 wants it, to destroy the information about Sloane. If the CIA gets it, we can take down Sloane and SD-6."  
  
Sydney looked at him. "I can't convince Andrew of anything. If we tail Cuvee enough, we can get enough information to blackmail Sloane even."  
  
"And reveal that we're double-agents?"  
  
"If we're getting ready to take it down anyway, it won't matter."  
  
"Go and find Sark. Make sure that he's going easy on Vaughn," said Jack, giving her a hug.  
  
"I was thinking more along the lines of as bad as he could torture him, go for it," she said with an evil grin.  
  
"Just because you're mad at him doesn't mean you have to scar him for life."  
  
"He deserves it," she said and left the room.  
  
She headed down to the prison block and found Sark, talking to Vaughn rather than torturing him. She stood next to Sark and smiled at him. He leaned down and whispered, "Want to really torture him?"  
  
They turned away from Vaughn. "All you have to do is kiss me and he dies," she said evilly.  
  
"Okay, once, but we have to get some sort of information out of him."  
  
"Yeah," she agreed.  
  
He kissed her and she grinned at him.  
  
"So, Mr. Vaughn," Sark continued the interrogation. "Where is Irina Derevko?"  
  
"Irina who?"  
  
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" asked Sydney. "You know good and well who Irina Derevko is."  
  
Sloane reentered the room. "Ah, good, Agent Bristow. I was hoping you'd find your way down here."  
  
She looked over at him, puzzled. "Carry on," he called over his shoulder as he left again. She looked at Sark with the same puzzled face and he shrugged.  
  
"Where is Irina Derevko? Our intelligence says that she is no longer at CIA headquarters."  
  
"Even if I knew where the bitch was, I wouldn't tell you."  
  
Sydney shot daggers at him. "Play along," she mouthed. To Sark, she smiled. "I'll be back in a minute," she said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.  
  
She pulled out a sheet of paper and began to write furiously in French.  
  
"We're getting you out of here," she wrote. "Play along with Sark and don't call my mother a bitch. Have a nice night," she grinned at the last bit. She went back into the room and said, "I believe that this is your girlfriend.Alice, is it?" she held up the sheet of paper. His eyes scanned the first sentence and he nodded. "Either you tell us where Irina Derevko is, or she will die," she threatened. He nodded, signaling that he had finished reading the paper. She folded it up and put it into her pocket.  
  
"Irina Derevko was sent back to Russia," he began, choosing his words carefully. "She came over on a fake visa. Her whereabouts after that are unknown. She was released sometime last year."  
  
She nodded and Sark untied Vaughn from the chair and led him back to the cell.  
  
"Eight tonight, okay? We'll bring a disguise and get you out of here," she whispered. "I know you're not the happiest with me right now, but we need to talk." He nodded and they turned and left.  
  
"What did you write?" asked Sark.  
  
She pulled out the sheet of paper and let him read it. "We are?" he asked.  
  
"Yes. Andrew, part of me still loves him," she said quietly. He hugged her to him and she leaned into his chest.  
  
"Come on. Let's go out for lunch," he smiled at her and they headed to their car. 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen  
  
Hours later, Sydney and Sark went back to SD-6. Sloane had left for the night and all they had to deal with was a bit of light security. They took out the few guards and Sydney made sure that Marshall had disabled the surveillance cameras right. She looked into it and she heard Marshall's voice come into her ear.  
  
"All clear," he said. She smiled.  
  
"Thanks," she whispered.  
  
Sark fiddled with the key ring and found the one to Vaughn's cell. He unlocked it and Sydney tossed him the bag with the clothes in it. He changed into a casual outfit with jeans and a t-shirt and added sunglasses and a hat. Sark chuckled and said to Sydney, "Are you going to comment?"  
  
"Nah, I saved that one for you. It was a one-time only thing though," she smiled.  
  
"Did I miss something?" asked Vaughn.  
  
"No," Sark said quickly. "Let's go."  
  
As soon as they were out the door, Sydney said to Marshall, "Go ahead and put them back on. Sark sawed off the bars so that it looks like someone from the outside helped him."  
  
"Okay. Good luck, Sydney," she heard the click, signaling that the connection was broken.  
  
The three of them got in the car. Sark pulled over at Francie's restaurant, which was doing extremely well.  
  
"I'll pick you up about.10:30?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, that sounds good," Sydney replied as she and Vaughn got out.  
  
Francie greeted them warmly and led them to a table near the back, far away from the mindless chatter of the evening crowd.  
  
"What is it, Syd?" asked Vaughn, staring at his menu, refusing to meet her eye.  
  
"I wanted to talk.that's all."  
  
"Without your husband?" he raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Andrew understands that you and I have some."  
  
"Unresolved conflicts?"  
  
"Yeah..." her voice trailed off.  
  
"What did you want to say?"  
  
"I just wanted to apologize, for what's happened over these last two years. I know that things will never be the way that they were before, but I don't want us to still have these conflicts between us that may affect our business relationship."  
  
He lowered his eyes. "Sydney, it's my fault. I should have told you about Josh.my son. After I had heard that you'd been killed."  
  
She moved her finger to his lips, silencing him. "It's all right. It's over now." Part of her wanted to lean across the small table and kiss him, but the other part stopped her. No, she told herself. You have a husband and a daughter; he has an ex-girlfriend that he will probably end up getting back together with and a son.  
  
"Syd, I want to explain." The waitress cut him off. "Good evening, and what can I get you to start off with?"  
  
"Just a coke," said Sydney.  
  
"I'll have the same," replied Vaughn.  
  
"Thank you," she said, flashing Vaughn a smile. "I'll be back in a few minutes with your drinks."  
  
"Somebody's flirting with you," muttered Sydney.  
  
"I know," he smiled at her. "Sydney, just let me continue."  
  
"Vaughn, it's over."  
  
"Sydney, I want to tell you. You of all people should know. After I had heard that you'd been killed, I blamed myself. I went crazy," he looked at her and she raised her eyebrows, "okay, I went nuts. I started having thoughts of committing suicide, and then I went down the path of no return, the whole "let's go out and get drunk so that I can't feel anything" road."  
  
"Vaughn." Sydney said, realizing the rest.  
  
"Syd, let me finish. I saw Alice at the bar that I just happened to be at that night. She was as drunk as I was, and sort of."  
  
"Vaughn, you don't have to go into details. I can figure out the rest." "About three months later, I got a call from Alice. We.hadn't talked much since that night, and I knew something was wrong. That's when she told me that she was pregnant. Well, you know Alice.she begged me to get back together with her, that her parents would kill her if she had this baby without her boyfriend/fiancé and so.I said yes. We got back together that night."  
  
Sydney looked at him, speechless.  
  
"There's more. Last month, we broke up again. She had rushed me into an engagement and sort of.how would you say it? Revealed her true colors."  
  
Sydney smiled. "The spoiled brat?"  
  
"Yeah," Vaughn said quietly.  
  
She stood up to leave.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I'm going to call Andrew. I want to get home to Ambria."  
  
"You don't want to stay?" he sounded upset.  
  
"Vaughn, what we had two years ago is now completely gone," she said, voicing what her mind was thinking and repeating over and over to her. "I'm married, I have a daughter. You have a son. We both went our separate ways." She picked up her coat and left the money for her untouched drink.  
  
"Sydney." he followed her out.  
  
"Vaughn, it's over." She dialed Sark's cell phone. "Andrew?" she asked. "I'm ready." She nodded at his response and hung up.  
  
"Sydney, why can't we just talk about this? We're always walking out on each other."  
  
"Vaughn," she reasoned. "We did talk." She looked up and kissed him, something that she had wanted to do the whole time that she had been sitting across from him at the table. Just then Sark pulled up. He tried hiding the hurt in his eyes as he watched Sydney pull away from Vaughn, her eyes shining.  
  
She got into the car and purposely avoided Sark's eyes.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked, genuinely concerned.  
  
"Yeah." her voice trailed off.  
  
"If you're wondering."  
  
"Andrew, don't go there. I don't really want to talk about it."  
  
He nodded and they drove in silence. When they pulled into the driveway, Sydney tore out of the car and through the front door. Sark heard the bedroom door slam as he let himself into the house. He knew that she needed to be alone, to sort out her feelings for Vaughn. He sat out on the deck, overlooking Irina's pool.  
  
You always knew this day would come, he told himself. The day that she and Vaughn made up, the day that they would want to get back together with the only thing stopping them.you.  
  
***  
  
"Sydney?" Irina gently knocked on the door, then took out a bobby pin and picked the lock. One thing about Sydney these days, she thought to herself. Always have a bobby pin handy.  
  
"Go away," she was sitting on the edge of the bed with her back to Irina.  
  
"Sydney, what's wrong?" she asked, sitting next to her.  
  
She looked at Irina, her eyes puffy and her face blotchy from crying. "I kissed Vaughn," she said, dissolving into more tears and turning away.  
  
"You've kissed Vaughn dozens of times. What's wrong with you kissing him when you were going out and why are you worrying about it now?"  
  
"You don't get it, I kissed him, at the restaurant, and Andrew saw me."  
  
"You're cheating on your husband?" Irina looked curious.  
  
"No!" Sydney ran from the room and sat outside on the front stoop. Irina calmly followed her.  
  
"Sydney, just hear me out, all right?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Your marriage with Sark is exactly like mine was with your father's. Cuvee "selected" your father as my husband. I had no choice in the matter, and I went along with it. After you were born, I really grew to love him. I dreaded the day that I would get the call from Cuvee telling me to come back to Russia. I loved it here in America, with you and your father. I didn't have a choice though in going. Sydney, you do. You may have been pulled into a marriage that you didn't want, but you have the choice to decide whether you want it to continue or whether you want to end it."  
  
"I can't leave my daughter."  
  
"You don't have to. You and Sark can have joint custody."  
  
"I don't want her to grow up like I did. I don't want her to be shuffled from house to house because her mother has to work and her father is nonexistent."  
  
"So you're staying with Sark because of Ambria?"  
  
Sydney nodded. "She deserves a better childhood than I got."  
  
"Have you told Sark this?"  
  
"He's mad enough at me for tonight. I can't face him."  
  
"Sydney, he knows that you still love Vaughn. You can look at him when he sees you two together and know it."  
  
"But it still hurts me as much as it hurts him!"  
  
"Sydney, you're the only one who can make the choice in this matter. You're the one who's stuck in the middle here, not Vaughn, not Sark, you." She stood up and went back inside, shutting the door behind her.  
  
Sydney thought for a while. If I leave Andrew.I can't leave Andrew. He's put up with me over these last two years while I wished that it was Vaughn that I was married to, not him. He's Ambria's father, she loves him. Hell, I love him.  
  
"Can I join you, or is this a private party?" came the familiar British accent.  
  
"You can join me," she felt herself smiling.  
  
"Sydney.I."  
  
"Andrew, you don't need to explain anything. I never should have done what I did tonight, and if I could go back in time and change it."  
  
"Sydney, love."  
  
"Andrew, let me finish. I shouldn't have kissed Vaughn.I." He silenced her by covering her lips with his. Her eyes lit up and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her to him and they broke apart, her head resting on his chest.  
  
"Sydney, you don't have to explain," he said quietly, his fingers running through her hair.  
  
She nodded and leaned quietly into his embrace, both enjoying the quiet of the night. 


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Authors Notes: Okay, As Long As You're Here is officially finished. I finished it last night (1-5-03) and there's one more chapter to come. I'm considering a sequel, but seeing as how my betas/editor are telling me that I'm the devil, I'm a traitor, etc.I don't know who will beta the next one. (They're Syd/Vaughn fans all the way.) I sort of feel like it ends perfectly, but if.I get enough reviews requesting a sequel, I may just do one. The only problem is what to write about.Oh well.enough of my rambling. Here we go.  
  
Chapter Fifteen  
  
Sydney threw up her hands in frustration as she filled out paperwork.  
  
"What is it?" asked Sark, sticking his head in the door.  
  
"They want everything but my firstborn child on this sheet!"  
  
"Let me see," he snatched it from her hand. "Name," he read. "That's pretty simple," he gave her a grin.  
  
"Yeah, if you know what to actually put down. Half of me wants to put down Sydney Bristow, and then the other half is leaning towards.Sydney Sark," she whispered the last part.  
  
"I like the last one," he said with another grin. "Let's continue, shall we?" he asked teasingly. "Mother's Maiden Name, I can see where you'd have a problem with that one too. What's this for anyway?" he asked.  
  
"Sloane's new idea. He's making us re-fill out these sheets since Cuvee and his men joined SD-6. My information hasn't changed since I started here."  
  
"Oh look, Sydney you missed it. They want your firstborn child too. Look here, Name of Firstborn Child. They also want the age."  
  
"Give me that!" she yanked it from his hands. "It does not!" she protested.  
  
"Am I interrupting anything?" asked Jack with a curious grin on his face.  
  
"No," Sydney and Sark said together, blushing.  
  
He raised an eyebrow and gave Sydney a smile. "Sloane wants your paperwork."  
  
"And her daughter, apparently," said Sark.  
  
"What?"  
  
"She said that they wanted everything but her firstborn child. I told her that they wanted that too."  
  
Jack shook his head.  
  
"What should I do about Mother's Maiden Name?" she asked.  
  
"Leave it blank. That's what I'd do," replied Jack.  
  
"All right," she scribbled in the final touches. "All done!" she announced.  
  
"Sydney, we need you for a conference with Mr. Cuvee," said Sloane, stopping by the room.  
  
"What is this? "The let's all meet in Sydney's conference room and harass her about this stupid paperwork" party?" she asked in exasperation.  
  
"I didn't think it'd be too hard to fill out this stuff," said Sloane.  
  
"And I quote," said Sark. He threw his hands in the air and sighed. "They want everything but my firstborn child here!" Unquote."  
  
Jack started laughing but was silenced by a look from Sydney.  
  
"As fascinating as this all is," said Sloane, "we need you, Ms. Bristow, for a meeting with Gerard Cuvee. Jack, are you coming?"  
  
"Yeah, hang on," he replied.  
  
"And I wasn't invited?" asked Sark.  
  
"Come if you want. You'll be bored," said Sloane, tonelessly.  
  
"Will not," argued Sark. Sydney knew where this one was going. "I'm going to go drop this off and meet you there," she flew out of the room. Jack was right behind her.  
  
"What did you do, spike his drink?" he asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Sark's in rare form today."  
  
"I have no idea," she rolled her eyes. "He gets like that occasionally."  
  
"It had better only be occasionally. I'd hate to have to put up with Mr. Humorous every day of the week."  
  
She tossed her paperwork in the basket and continued to the meeting.  
  
"As I was saying," said Sloane as Sydney and Jack quietly slipped in. "Ms. Bristow and Mr. Sark will be going on a mission to Germany, where as Mr. Cuvee tells us, will find one of the old KGB bases. What a Russian base is doing in Germany is beyond me, but in this base will be a chapter of the Bible and a blackmail disk, hidden."  
  
"We're going, together?" asked Sydney.  
  
"It's not a problem, is it?" asked Sloane.  
  
"You see, my daugh." Sark covered her mouth.  
  
"It's fine," he smoothly lied. He knew that Sloane was trying to make them feel uncomfortable about being married in front of everyone at SD-6. "What's on the blackmail disk? Didn't we get one of those already?" asked Sark.  
  
"Derevko made several blackmail disks. As you know, that was her main way of getting what she wanted. Many of those disks can assist SD-6 and the Alliance in our main goal."  
  
Sark nodded. "Where, approximately will these be hidden?"  
  
Sloane handed him a disk and checked his watch. "Look over this tonight. Marshall has created a three-dimensional map of the base and the possible locations of the disk and packet. I have to go. There's an Alliance meeting tomorrow and I need to catch a flight. I'm trusting you with this," he looked at Sydney and Sark, who nodded.  
  
The meeting ended and everyone but Sydney, Sark, and Jack left the room.  
  
"This is impossible," Sydney shook her head.  
  
"It's not," said Sark, putting an arm around her.  
  
"He's trying to trap us somehow. What do you want to bet that our equipment will be bugged or something?"  
  
"Or the hotel room," suggested Sark.  
  
"We're staying in a hotel?"  
  
"It's a three-day mission. I have a list of possible bases that it could be at," said Sark.  
  
"Is it just me, or is Cuvee acting weird?" asked Jack.  
  
"Cuvee acts weird every day," said Sark.  
  
"Okay, weirder than usual?"  
  
"He's hiding something," Sydney said quietly.  
  
"Yeah," agreed Sark. "Anyhow," he hugged Sydney closer to him. "Our flight leaves later tonight. We'd better go get packed and say goodbye to Ambria."  
  
"Yeah," Sydney agreed.  
  
Jack stepped forward and hugged her. "If I don't see you before you leave, good luck," he said quietly.  
  
She pulled away from the hug and smiled. "Thanks," she said.  
  
They drove back to Irina's and pulled into the driveway. Sydney got out, casually slamming the door behind her and grabbing her bag and jacket. She saw Ambria looking out at her through the front window and smiled to herself. "Look," she said to Sark. He looked up and smiled, seeing their daughter waving excitedly to them and tugging on Irina's pant leg.  
  
"She's a little excited, do you think?" asked Sydney, grabbing one of his bags for him.  
  
"A little? That's only the understatement of the year. That would just be like me saying that I have a crush on you."  
  
"That had better be an understatement," she playfully hit him with her jacket.  
  
"Mommy!" Ambria's yell of happiness filled the air as they let themselves inside. She dropped her coat and bags and picked her up.  
  
"How's Mommy's little girl?" she asked.  
  
Ambria stuck a finger in her mouth. "Good," she smiled.  
  
"She's a chatterbox," Irina commented dryly.  
  
"What?" asked Sark.  
  
"She's been babbling all day. I managed to pull out a "Mommy" and a "Daddy" but that's about it. She may have even said "Bear" too."  
  
"Have you been annoying your grandmother?" Sydney asked the little girl.  
  
"Gamma!" Ambria pointed at Irina who took her from Sydney's arms.  
  
"You were great at that age," Irina said, balancing the girl on her hip. "Always talking, full of life."  
  
Sydney blushed and Sark pulled her closer to him, planting a kiss on her forehead. "We need to go pack," he reminded her.  
  
"Where are you being sent to?" asked Irina.  
  
"Germany," said Sark.  
  
"Germany's a big place," commented Irina, looking at the two of them suspiciously.  
  
"Mannheim," Sydney said.  
  
"Interesting." Irina said, her voice trailing off and raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Andrew?" Sydney asked. "Will you take Ambria for a minute? I have to.have a talk with my mother."  
  
"Sure," he said, taking the hint and picking up Ambria. The two of them went into the other room.  
  
"Why are you giving me odd looks?" Sydney asked.  
  
"You're after the Bible again, aren't you?"  
  
Sydney smiled. "Yeah. Sloane."  
  
"Where are you headed?"  
  
"The first possible location is in Mannheim. We are going to infiltrate that one first. The second possible location is Stuttgart. The third is Ulm."  
  
Irina smiled. "I always knew that you'd find it eventually."  
  
"So it's in one of those places."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"Is this a trick question? You expect me to tell you where I hid my owner's manual?"  
  
Sydney gave her a dumb look. "Not exactly. You just need to tell me which two of the three places are right," she said hopefully.  
  
"Forget it. Sydney, come here," Irina led her to her bedroom. She dug through her closet and came up with a trap door. "The CIA doesn't even know about this. If they found out, Kendall would raid it."  
  
Sydney nodded. "What is it?"  
  
"This is where I hide all my stuff," she winked. She pulled out a torn, tattered box.  
  
"What's that?" asked Sydney.  
  
"It's the original," replied Irina, lifting out a thick black book that was torn with yellowing pages.  
  
"Oh my God," breathed Sydney as Irina held it. "You've had the original the whole time?"  
  
"You think that I would trust anyone with it? I trusted Sark enough to make a copy of it and return it to me when he worked for me."  
  
"You've got to be kidding me," Sydney whispered as Irina handed it to her. She flipped through the first bit. "The map," she said, stopping on a page.  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"Marshall gave us one that's three-dimensional, to help us find the chapter. Sloane wants the blackmail disk and the chapter. What's on the disk anyway?"  
  
Irina thought as Sydney handed her back the black book. "If I remember correctly, some of the blackmail is on some of the people who now make up the Alliance, such as Sloane."  
  
"You're kidding."  
  
"No. That's probably why Sloane wants it destroyed."  
  
"Emily," Sydney said quietly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Sloane murdered his wife, Emily."  
  
"It wouldn't have that on it. It's at least." she counted. "Or it might. I turned myself in three years ago, that disk's contents were from the previous year up until then.It might," she said, coming out of her thoughts.  
  
"That's why he wants it destroyed.and so does the rest of the Alliance."  
  
"Sydney, I do have to warn you."  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"I hid pictures of you and your father on there."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I hid pictures of you and Jack that Sark had taken on that disk. They're invisible, but with Marshall's technique and advanced software, he may be able to find them. You have to get those off of there before you turn the disk in to anyone."  
  
She nodded and watched as Irina put the book back into its box. "Thank you for showing me," she said.  
  
Irina merely nodded. "The chapter isn't hidden in Ulm. I'll give you that much," she said.  
  
"Thank you, but why would you tell me?"  
  
"I'll tell you the same thing I told Vaughn when I gave him the fire alarm tip for you in Rabat. You only get one gift from me. That is your one gift," she gave Sydney an evil grin and climbed back up the stairs.  
  
They heard voices from downstairs and Sydney recognized one as Andrew's and one as.she thought for a moment. Sloane? She guessed.  
  
"Stay here," she whispered. "Go back through the trapdoor. I'll pound three times when they're gone." She hurried down the stairs.  
  
"Sydney," Sloane acknowledged her.  
  
"Arvin. What can I help you with?"  
  
"I just came to check up on you, see how you were re-adapting to your not so new life."  
  
"We're doing fine," she said, flicking her eyes at Sark. He looked at her with a questioning look. "Sweetie?" she said to Ambria. "Want to help Mommy pack?" Ambria nodded and Sydney picked her up and headed back upstairs.  
  
"She knows where Irina is," Sloane said quietly to Sark as he watched Sydney go back upstairs.  
  
"You're sure?" asked Sark.  
  
"She does. You can tell. Find out where Irina is hiding and tell me. You will be greatly rewarded."  
  
"How greatly?" Sark asked.  
  
"One million."  
  
"Two, and you have a deal."  
  
"Deal," Sloane shook Sark's hand. "You have until next Monday to hand over the information, otherwise.I think you know what will happen. Sark nodded as Sloane left.  
  
Sydney saw him leave and stomped on the trapdoor where Irina was hidden, then flew down the stairs, leaving Ambria happily playing on Irina's bed.  
  
"What the hell did you do?" she shrieked, tackling him and sending him flying against a wall.  
  
"Sydney, get off!" he fought to push her off and at the same time, avoid being hit by the punches that she was throwing at him.  
  
"Sydney!" Irina yelled as she tried to pull her off of Sark. She pulled her off and pulled her to the other side of the room. "What were you doing?" she asked, holding her daughter back.  
  
"He was making a deal with Sloane. He's going to turn you in to SD-6!" she exclaimed, trying to free herself from her mother's strong grip.  
  
"Sydney, let me explain!" Sark protested. Sydney managed to free one of her arms and pulled a gun from her pocket.  
  
"Give me one reason why I should," her voice turned cold. "I heard him offer one million dollars for my mother. You upped it to two and he accepted. You have until Monday to give him the information." She aimed the gun at Sark.  
  
A loud pounding began on the door and Sydney heard Ambria start crying upstairs. She ran up the stairs and hid her gun, then scooped up her daughter and went back downstairs.  
  
"Jack," she heard her mother's breath catch her throat. She knew that her father wasn't alone.  
  
"Mr. Vaughn," Sark nodded, acknowledging his presence.  
  
"What are you doing here?" asked Sydney, holding Ambria.  
  
"We received word through the system that, as you know, is monitoring Ms. Derevko's house that a gun was pulled on someone. Where is the gun?" asked Jack, looking suspiciously at Irina. "Search her," he commanded the agents with him.  
  
"Dad, it wasn't her," said Sydney.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I pulled the gun on Sark. He's working with Sloane. He's not a double agent for the C." Sark covered her mouth and she bit down hard on his palm. "Let me finish!" she said as he surveyed the damage. He held his palm but didn't look too fazed by the whole thing.  
  
Irina looked at Sark, regarding him carefully. That was when she noticed the small black object on Sark's jacket. She covered Sydney's mouth just as she was about to speak. "Let me talk to you alone," she whispered, leading her into the spare bedroom. She searched the room with her eyes, looking for more bugs.  
  
"Sydney," she hissed. "He's bugged by Sloane. There's one on his jacket. He knows it. Sloane can hear everything you said. That's why he covered your mouth, so that it wouldn't be revealed that you're a double-agent. For all you know now, Sloane could have figured it out and has sent a team of assassins to take you out!"  
  
They opened the door and Jack looked at her oddly. She flicked her eyes to Sark's jacket and Jack noticed the bug as well. He whispered it to Vaughn.  
  
"Dad, I'm sorry that you had to come all the way out here. Andrew and I had a fight," she said, hoping to repair the damage.  
  
The loud pounding began on the door again. "Open up!" they heard. "SD-6." 


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Authors Notes: Like I said before, I'm officially done with this story. If you want a sequel, please feel free to review and tell me to do so, or not to do so. If you do review with a yes, please give me an idea. I usually find a way to use all the ideas at some point, I just don't know where I'd go after this ending.oh well, have fun and please review. My goal is to hit over 70 reviews! Thanks!  
  
Chapter Sixteen  
  
They froze, debating whether to answer the door. Sydney and Sark looked at each other and nodded. Sydney took Irina, Jack, Vaughn, and the two other agents around to the back door. They crept out, praying that SD-6 wouldn't find them.  
  
Sark answered the door, his hands in the air.  
  
"Where is Irina Derevko?" asked one of the men.  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he lied smoothly.  
  
Sydney flew back around the corner from the kitchen and grabbed the spare gun that was hidden in one of the drawers. She carefully took aim and fired, killing the agent that was interrogating Sark. She was nowhere near the master assassin that Sark was, but it would do, she thought.  
  
He put down his hands and dashed for the kitchen after shutting the door. "There's obviously more agents in the car," he said.  
  
"I know. Sloane's probably there too." she let her voice trail off, remembering the bug. "Why is he after us?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know," he admitted. She quickly grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled something down and handed it to him.  
  
"I got Mom, Dad, and Vaughn out of here. They're headed back to the CIA. Kendall's promised us an extraction point so that we can get out of here. We need to head for the corner deli. They'll be in the back parking lot waiting for us. We're to go to the CIA safe house after that," his eyes quickly skimmed the paper and he hastily wrote, "Where's Ambria?"  
  
Sydney's eyes lit up in fear. Ambria! Where was her daughter? She was standing inside the kitchen when she showed them where to get out.  
  
Sydney slid to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her face in her arms. Sark put an arm around her. "Let's go," he scribbled. "She's probably with your mother."  
  
She stood up and wiped her face and nodded. They ran for the pool shed and closed themselves in the darkened, windowless building. She dug through the pool stuff and found the secret passage that Kendall had told them about. She motioned for Sark to follow her as she grabbed the flashlight and led them down the passage.  
  
About a half a mile later, they came to the door. They crawled out behind a hedge and stood up. The deli was just across the street. All they had to do was get there and hope that SD-6 didn't know about the extraction point.  
  
The light switched to red and they dashed across the busy street. Sydney saw the green car that Kendall had described briefly and sprinted toward it. Jack was behind the wheel.  
  
"Get in!" he called. Sark climbed in front and Sydney climbed in back, and leaned against the seat, closing her eyes.  
  
"Three, two, one," Sark counted backwards softly. They heard an explosion in the close distance.  
  
"What are you, a fortune teller?" asked Sydney.  
  
"Sydney, this is Sloane that we're talking about," he reached back for one of her hands and gripped it tightly. "He'd gladly blow up another house if he thought we were inside."  
  
"Dad, did Mom take Ambria?" asked Sydney, opening her eyes a bit.  
  
"No," Jack sounded puzzled as he drove. "Why?"  
  
Sydney's eyes watered and tears spilled over. "I'm a horrible mother. I abandoned my only daughter."  
  
"Sydney." Sark tried soothing her, but it was no use. She continued to cry. Finally, he climbed in the back seat with her and let her head rest against his chest. "Shhh."  
  
She closed her eyes and a few minutes later, was completely silent.  
  
"Is she sleeping?" Jack checked the rearview mirror.  
  
"Yeah," Sark said. "Are they following us?" he looked out the back window.  
  
"Not to my knowledge. We haven't had to dodge any bullets yet."  
  
"Where's Irina?"  
  
"Kendall came and got her and Vaughn. She's at CIA headquarters, probably back to living in her cell."  
  
"I'm worried," he said quietly.  
  
"Mr. Sark, you are a trained assassin. Trained assassins don't get worried."  
  
"Trained assassins also aren't supposed to have children, and now I see why," he snapped back.  
  
Sydney's eyes flew open and she sat up. "I just thought of something!" she said as they drove by the street that they usually turned on to get to the CIA headquarters. "Dad, go to headquarters. I have to see Mom!"  
  
Jack made a hasty turn and the car had just barely stopped when Sydney jumped out and flew towards the door. She ran past Kendall, down to the familiar area where the CIA had once held her mother. She turned the corner, flashed her badge and found her mother, exactly where she had expected to.  
  
"Let's see," said Irina, checking an invisible watch. "A new record."  
  
"Mom," Sydney said, stopping for breath. "Okay, first, Sloane blew up the house."  
  
"I heard the blast and figured as much. How's Ambria."  
  
Sydney fought to keep from crying again as she said, "I thought that she was with you."  
  
Irina's eyes held the same look of pain that Sydney's did and Sydney said, "The house was blown up.what would have happened to the trapdoor?"  
  
"It was underground, just like the secret passage that you took to get out. It would have survived, and is probably buried under the rubble."  
  
"When everything clears, I am going and retrieving what I can," said Sydney.  
  
"That would be wise," said Irina.  
  
"Agent Bristow," said Kendall, entering the room. "Your husband is upstairs.and we have a telephone call for you." She looked at him, raising an eyebrow and he shrugged.  
  
"I'll find you later," she said.  
  
"Be careful. I'll find you first," said Irina with a smile. Sydney returned the smile and turned and followed the path that Kendall had just taken.  
  
She hurried back up the stairs and Vaughn handed her the telephone, a grim look on his face. She covered the mouthpiece with her hand, "What?" she asked.  
  
"Just take the call," he said quietly. Sark stood behind him, absorbed in his thoughts.  
  
"Hello?" she asked.  
  
"I have your daughter," the voice said. She recognized it. It sounded like Marshall, behind one of his voice-changers.  
  
"Marshall?" she asked. She heard someone curse on the other line and heard a faint scream. Ambria, she thought.  
  
"You will hand over Irina Derevko and her Bible, or else your daughter will be killed, and I would hate to have to do that," the voice changed before she heard the click in her ear.  
  
Vaughn gave her a sad smile as she slammed the phone back into its cradle. Sark looked at her, the same pain evident in his eyes. She sank into a chair. "I can't hand over my mother to SD-6," she said aloud. Sark stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders, just letting her know that he was there.  
  
"What are we going to do?" she asked.  
  
"We have to get out of here," he said. "We need to get to the safe house as soon as we can."  
  
"What are we going to do though?" she asked again.  
  
Jack entered the room. "Did she take the call?" he asked Kendall. Kendall nodded in response.  
  
"Sydney," said Jack, standing in front of her. "We need to get moving. We're moving the SD-6 takedown. We're going to try pulling it off this week." He looked at Sark and looked for the bug.  
  
"It's gone," said Sark. "I lost it when we were running."  
  
She shook her head. "You can't. They want Mom, otherwise they'll kill Ambria. I can't hand my mother over to Arvin Sloane, but I can't let him kill my daughter."  
  
Marshall came flying into the room, breathing heavily. "I just got here," he said. "Sloane has your daughter, Sydney. I'm really sorry that I had to call you.you see, Sloane was on top of me "Marshall, get your voice changer.call Sydney Bristow, tell her." Anyway, I'm really sorry and all and." Marshall's voice died off when he realized that he was rambling.  
  
Sydney smiled sadly and looked at Marshall.  
  
"She's okay.if that's any comfort," said Marshall. Sydney stood, surprising Sark and she turned for the door.  
  
"I have to find Sloane," she said quietly. "I have to find him," she repeated and turned and ran.  
  
She got into the car that the CIA had provided her father with and the keys were sitting right on the seat where he had left them. She drove as fast as the speed limit would allow to SD-6.  
  
She entered the building and headed for Sloane's office. She turned the corner and heard the familiar crying, her daughter's. She followed it to a closed door and opened it.  
  
"Mommy!" the little girl flew toward her.  
  
"Sweetie," said Sydney, burying her face in the little girl's hair, inhaling her familiar scent.  
  
"Mommy, this bad man came and took me away. He said that if.if."  
  
"If what?" asked Sydney.  
  
"Um.I forgot," the toddler gave her a grin.  
  
"I love you," she hugged the girl closer to her and stood up. She had to get Ambria out of here.  
  
"Ah, Ms. Bristow. I figured you'd be coming," said Sloane as she rounded the corner. She thought about running, but decided against it, as he'd probably have a gun on him and she didn't want to risk it.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"You have your precious daughter, now I need Irina Derevko."  
  
"I don't know where she is," lied Sydney.  
  
"You know," he said. "Your husband is working for me," he said evilly. "His coat was bugged after I left. I heard every word that you said," he took out his gun and pointed it at Sydney.  
  
"Mommy," Ambria murmured and buried her head in Sydney's shoulder.  
  
"She escaped. I have no idea where she is."  
  
"Hmm," said Sloane thoughtfully. "No one seems to know where she is. First, Agent Vaughn said she was in Russia. Then I hear her voice. Now you tell me that you don't know where she is. This is a coincidence."  
  
"I swear to God, Arvin, I have no idea where my mother is."  
  
"Then you admit to helping her escape."  
  
"I was upstairs the whole time. I went back upstairs after you left. I came down and Andrew was talking to my father. Then your men came and I went back to get Ambria. I couldn't find her, so I assumed that she was with Andrew. That's when he told me that Irina had escaped. Had I had more time, I would have contacted you." She was cut off as the building shook.  
  
"What the hell?" cursed Sloane as he picked himself up off the floor and headed for the cameras.  
  
Her cell phone rang. "Sydney," it was Vaughn. "Get yourself out. Fighter planes are now in the sky."  
  
"I figured, when the building shook and we fell. I'm on my way," she ran for the exit and tripped as the building shook and smoked again. The entrance collapsed, leaving Sydney with no way out.  
  
Ambria started crying as she fell. "Shh," Sydney quietly rocked her, "It's okay, it's okay," she repeated, getting up and trying to find another way out. She saw the stairs and flew down to the basement just as the doorway collapsed. She heard screaming as beams fell and another air strike hit the building. She dodged a falling beam and headed for the secret door that Arvin had showed her.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Sydney," Sloane led her down the dark passage to a small steel door. "This is a secret exit to the main street, in case you're ever in trouble. Here's the key. You're like a daughter to me, you know that?" He took her hand and gently kissed it. She fought to keep from cringing as he handed her the key.  
  
"Thank you," she said quietly, hoping that she could get out of there and wash her hands as much as possible.  
  
*End of Flashback*  
  
She dug through her purse to her key chain as more beams fell around them. She found the right one and gasped for air as she made it through the door just as the rest of the building fell. She slumped onto a bench, setting Ambria next to her as she caught her breath.  
  
***  
  
Why did I let Kendall talk me into this? Vaughn asked himself as he pulled into what used to be the SD-6 parking lot. He moved past the fire trucks and police officers to right next to the rubble, where firefighters had just pulled Arvin Sloane from.  
  
He would go into CIA custody, be interrogated, and be released if he was found to be innocent. Vaughn doubted that he would be found innocent.  
  
"Excuse me," he said to one of the guards. "I'm Michael Vaughn, with the CIA. Did you by any chance find Sydney Bristow and her daughter?"  
  
The officer scratched his head. "Sir, Mr. Vaughn is it? This just happened. Mr. Sloane was the first to be pulled from the rubble. I assume that more will come," he said, motioning to what was left of the building, which was going up in flames. The entryway was blocked. Vaughn went around to one of the other exits and picked his way in.  
  
"Sydney?" he coughed as the smoke hit his lungs. People ran past him to the exit. "Sydney?" he coughed again as he went deeper into the ruins.  
  
***  
  
"Damn it," Sark cursed as he drove to SD-6. The stupid CIA and their stupid air strike. Sydney was still in the building. He pulled up along the curb and saw the flaming building. He hoped that Sydney wasn't in there.  
  
He got out and asked an officer about her. "What is she, some supermodel?" he asked. "You're not the first person to ask about her. A Michael Vaughn was looking for her too."  
  
Sark looked confused, but saw Jack and Irina, fighting with the firemen to get one to go inside.  
  
"Jack!" yelled Sark over the confusion. Jack looked up and saw him.  
  
"Did you find her?"  
  
"No. No one's seen her, although the officer said that Vaughn was looking for her too." He reached into his bag and pulled out an oxygen mask.  
  
"What?" he asked, when he saw Jack's curious look. "I raided Marshall's office. He had this and said it might come in handy." He slipped it on and headed toward the other entrance. "I'm going to find her," he said, determined as he headed into the flames.  
  
Sydney rounded the corner of the building and saw as Sark ducked into the flaming building. "Andrew!" she yelled, but he didn't hear her.  
  
"Sydney!" Irina looked up and saw her daughter running toward her.  
  
"Gamma!" Ambria said happily, reaching for Irina.  
  
"Ambria!" Irina took her and hugged her.  
  
"Sydney!" Jack hugged her.  
  
"He went in, didn't he?" she asked. Jack nodded.  
  
About fifteen minutes later, as Sydney anxiously paced on the sidewalk, the fire was put out. Sark managed to make it out, dragging Vaughn behind him.  
  
"Vaughn!" Sydney sank to her knees beside him, making sure that he was breathing.  
  
"Oh yeah, I feel loved," muttered Sark.  
  
"Daddy!" Ambria exclaimed, trying to get down from Irina's arms and Sark took off the mask.  
  
"Sweetheart!" He picked her up and twirled her around.  
  
Vaughn sighed as he tried to sit up. "Vaughn!" Sydney hugged him. Sark's eyes widened as he saw her. "Are you okay?"  
  
He shook his head to clear and coughed. The paramedics came over to him with a stretcher. He shook his head, waving them away. "I'm fine."  
  
"Mr. Vaughn, Agent Kendall has requested that we take you back and have the doctors check you out," said one, and Vaughn knew him as a CIA paramedic. He nodded and fell onto the stretcher. He took Sydney's hand and she held it tightly, finally letting go as they wheeled him away.  
  
"Andrew," she kissed him. "You are so stupid," she laughed, tears running down her cheeks.  
  
"I know," he handed Ambria back to Irina and their foreheads touched. He leaned down and kissed her again, their fingers running through each other's hair.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked as they parted. She nodded and he pulled her closer to him.  
  
"Vaughn will be fine," Jack said as her mouth opened slightly. She shook her head and took Ambria from Irina.  
  
"Yes, I am," she said, turning back to Sark. "I am, as long as you're here," she said quietly as he leaned down to kiss her again. "Yes, I am," she repeated again. 


End file.
